Dr Denning's leadership in official capacities is far too long to itemize here. His many years of distinguished service to the ACM include two years as President (1980-82) and seven years as Editor-in-Chief of the Communications of ACM (1982- ). His work on the Computer Science Board and with Snowbird '80 resulted in the report "A Discipline in Crisis", which had such an influence on the field in the early 1980s.
Through his pen, in over 25 articles over the past five years, he has done much to make the accomplishments of computer science understandable and accessible to researchers in other disciplines, leading to a better acceptance of computer science in the community. At the same time, his efforts over the years to define an intellectual core of computing have led to a better understanding from within and have produced a curriculum designed around basic principles and domains of competence in the core.
Throughout his career, Dr Denning has exemplified the kind of service that has helped computing research grow to a healthy maturity.