Black History is infinity ➰ Dr. Marian Croak helped build the foundations of digital voice at a moment when the internet was expanding rapidly—but reliable, scalable communication was far from guaranteed. Trained as an engineer, Croak understood early that access to communication would shape who could participate in the digital economy. Her work focused not on visibility, but on reliability—ensuring that voice could move across networks consistently, securely, and at scale. During her decades-long career at AT&T, Croak played a central role in the development of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This work enabled voice to travel as data across IP networks, helping move communication beyond traditional phone systems and into the internet era—powering modern calling, video conferencing, and global collaboration. This was foundational work. Before video calls became routine. Before digital communication was assumed. Croak was helping define how voice travels—reliably, repeatedly, and at scale. Her impact extended beyond commercial systems. Croak was instrumental in advancing next-generation 911, helping emergency communications transition from analog to IP-based networks. This shift allowed first responders to receive not just voice calls, but text messages, images, and real-time data—fundamentally improving emergency response and public safety. Across her career, Croak earned more than 200 patents, many tied directly to digital voice, messaging, and network resilience. Later, as Vice President of Engineering at Google, she continued shaping large-scale communication systems with an emphasis on access, reliability, and public responsibility. Reflecting on her work, Croak has emphasized that the most important technologies are often the ones people stop noticing—because they simply work. That principle defines her legacy. ➰ From early internet infrastructure to the systems we rely on today, her work still powers how the world communicates. This is what it looks like when innovation becomes infrastructure. 📍 Follow along this month as we continue honoring the builders, the breakthroughs, and what comes next.