ITSMF Technology Leaders Awards and Honorees 2024

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the esteemed judges who graciously lent their expertise in evaluating the nominations for the Technology Leaders Awards. Your invaluable assistance and commitment to excellence have been instrumental in recognizing and celebrating the achievements of exceptional technology leaders. Thank you for your time, dedication, and insightful evaluations. Together, we honor innovation and drive in the ever-evolving world of technology.

Brian Benn

Meredith Harper

Sherrie Littlejohn

Dr. Stephanie Parson, Ph.D.

Darkenia Rogers

Jeff Stovall

Jerry Walker

ITSMF Fellows

Highest ITSMF honor bestowed. Compare in prestige to the Kennedy Center awards.

There is a rubric for the qualification criteria:

Distinctive Fortune 50 or 100 executive leader or equivalent classification
Recognized industry leadership and/or status as an industry influencer (by noted industry publications and organizations)
Member of a National, public board
Consistent and active engagement, stewardship, and leadership within ITSMF for at least 10 years

Winner

Dwayne Allen, Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Officer – Unisys

ITSMF Executive Member of the Year

Sponsored by Moody’s

This award is presented to the ITSMF Executive Member who meets the criteria established for Executive Member of the Year (i.e., ITSMF-focused mentorship, stewardship, and advocacy). One singular winner per year.

Nominees

Collette Fung, Technology Director – State Farm
Octavia Howell, VP, Chief Information Security Officer – Equifax Canada
Subrena Robinson, Independent Consultant – ITSMF EMERGE Academy Partner
Leona Thomas, Strategic Advisor/Independent Consultant
Bennette Veals, retired (formerly Procter & Gamble) – Director of Global Business Services

Winner

Octavia Howell

ITSMF Associate Member of the Year

Sponsored by Bennette Veals

This award is presented to the ITSMF Associate Member who meets the criteria established for Associate Member of the Year (i.e., ITSMF-focused mentorship, stewardship, and advocacy). One singular winner per year.

Nominees

Timothy May, Global Operations Senior Manager – Deloitte
Mwuza Muyandamusta, IT Director and Chief of Staff – Cisco Systems
Ericka Shoulars, Program Manager – BNY Mellon
Joel Stephen, Senior IT Manager – HP, Inc.
Stephanie Stiles, Compliance Lead – PepsiCo

Winner

Timothy May

ITSMF Partner of the Year

This award is presented to the Corporate Partner based on their stewardship and advocacy in support of ITSMF. The Partner of the Year is announced during the ITSMF Leadership Awards event.

Winner

State Farm

Lifetime Achievement Award

Sponsored by State Farm

This award recognizes the lasting contributions, leadership, enthusiasm, and tireless efforts of industry luminaries who’ve committed themselves and who have had a transformative effect on their organization and the technology industry. These individuals have provided a long-standing commitment to excellence, thought leadership on the industry’s strategic direction, served on boards of industry organizations, served their communities and served as mentors to countless others.

Winner

Fern Johnson, retired VP, CTO – PepsiCo

Carl C. Williams Award

Sponsored by Oracle

Winner

Zackarie Lemelle, President/CEO – New Hope Coaching & Consulting

ITSMF Foundation Scholarship Recipients

Scholarships are awarded to deserving college STEM students. Students are chosen based on their academic performance, aptitude to lead and serve, and commitment to furthering their education.

Carl C. Williams Scholarship Winners

Nasarin Ali – George Mason University	Lauryn Stallworth – Georgia State University
Deanna Johnson – Howard University	Rubena Uyeh – Georgia State University
Joy Mwaria – University of Delaware

ITSMF Fellows Scholarship Winners

Emily Bodude – Tennessee State University	Makayla Johnson – Georgia State University
Skilar Brooks – University of Kentucky	Patrice Sterling – Bluefield State College
Dierra Haynes – South Carolina State University

ITSMF Technology Leader Awards

The ITSMF Technology Leaders Awards replaces the prior ITSMF Technology Achievement Awards. Previously, the Technology Achievement honorees were 1 to 4 individuals hand-selected by a few members of the ITSMF Executive Office and a small set of volunteers (1 to 3 volunteers).

The newly launched (2022) Technology Leaders Awards solicits nominees from the public and industry using a set of published qualification criteria. The finalists are selected by a panel of their IT industry peers serving as judges. The award categories have been expanded to include those from all sectors and verticals (i.e. corporate, education, non-profit, entrepreneurs).

Technology Executive of the Year

Nominees

Dwayne Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer – Unisys
Tamara Armstrong, Chief Information Officer and Vice President Information Technology – Loyola Marymount University
Hans Brown, CIO Corporate Trust & Depositary Receipts (Issuer Services) – BNY Mellon
Gary Flowers, CIO, Transformation and Technology Services – Year Up
John Gift, Chief Information Security Officer – WestRock Company
Brandon Jones, Chief Executive Officer – Throughline Inc.
Greg Malone, Global Information Officer – Webster University
Brandeis Marshall, PhD, Chief Executive Officer – DataedX Group
Ernest Nicolas, Chief Supply Chain Officer – HP
Julius K. Smith, Vice President, Chief Information Officer – Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Raquel Ettrick Thompson, Managing Director, Global Head of Technology & Cyber Risk for Clearing, Markets, Treasury & Digital – BNY Mellon

Technology Executive of the Year – Global | Winner (sponsored by State Farm)
(Leader of a Fortune 100 company with reach beyond the U.S. and U.S. territories)
Dwayne Allen

Technology Executive of the Year – Enterprise | Winner (sponsored by Brown & Brown)
(Leader of a Fortune 1000 company with local or global reach)
John Gift

Technology Executive of the Year – Large Business | Winner (sponsored by BravoTech)
(Leader of a business with 1000 or more employees)
Brandeis Marshall, PhD

Technology Executive of the Year – Non-Profit/Public Sector | Winner
(Leader of an accredited U.S. based secondary institution, college or university)
Dr. Julius Smith

Technology Executive of the Year – Education | Winner
Greg Malone

Technology Leader on the Rise

Nominees are Technology/Digital Executives one or two levels from the C-Suite (Director, Senior Director, VP or VP-equivalent) who is also a thought leader or influencer. Nominee must demonstrate outstanding community service, impact and promote diversity within their organizations in alignment with ITSMF’s mission and goals

Tech Leader on the Rise – Global

Leader of a Fortune 100 company with reach beyond the U.S. and U.S. territories

Nominees

Latasha Gary – Director of Sustainable Impact and Digital Transformation – HP
Michael Harris – Portfolio Director and Client Account Lead – Avanade
Shawana Gaines – Head of Regional and Site Services – HP

Winner
(Head of Regional and Site Services)
Latasha Gary

Tech Leader on the Rise – Enterprise

Leader of a Fortune 1000 company with local or global reach

Nominees

Victor Montgomery – Director of Internal Audit – State Farm
Tiauna Ross – Senior Director of Digital & ERP Cybersecurity – Cyber Security, Cyber Risk & IT Compliance – Stryker

Winner
(Director, Internal Audit – State Farm)
Victor Montgomery