ITSMF Awards and Honorees 2025

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.

Meredith Harper

Earl Newsome

Robert Peterkin

Bennette Veals

ITSMF 2025 Technology Leaders Awards Program Booklet

ITSMF Fellows

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

Distinctive Fortune 50 or 100 executive leader or equivalent classification
Recognized industry leadership and/or status as an industry influencer (by organizations such as BEYA, Black Enterprise, CIO Magazine, Computerworld or Various “Who’s Who”, etc.)
Member of a National, public board
Consistent and active engagement, stewardship, and leadership within ITSMF for at least 10 years

New 2025 Fellows

Gary Eppinger

Vice President – Technology and Chief Information Security Officer at CSX Transportation.
25+ years of cybersecurity, IT, and business leadership.
Former Global CISO at Carnival Corporation; leadership roles at SuperValu, Delphi, Banta, Rockwell, GE Healthcare.
BA from Campbell University; Executive programs at GE and Cornell.
Co-founder and board member for major cybersecurity and technology organizations.
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient (President Obama, 2017); multiple CISO leadership awards.
Passionate about mentoring future technology leaders and advancing cybersecurity innovation.

Michelle Greene

Chief Information Officer at Cardinal Health, leading 5,000+ tech professionals.
Board member at Werner Enterprises, Goodwill, GreenPath Financial Wellness, Cardinal Health Foundation.
Member of The Links, Inc., ITSMF, and Black Women on Boards.
Recognized on Forbes CIO Next List, Savoy’s Most Influential Directors, ORBIE finalist.
Former global assignment in Sweden with Sony Ericsson.
Executive sponsor for Cardinal Health’s STEM initiative.
Advocate for lifting women and girls into technology leadership

Daphne Jones

Fortune 50 CIO, digital leader, and board member with 40+ years at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and GE.
Author of WIN WHEN THEY SAY YOU WON’T (McGraw Hill, 2023), inspiring leaders with a winning mindset and career strategies.
Founder and CEO of The Board Curators, preparing senior executives for public and private board service.
Serves on the board of AMN Healthcare, sitting on the Audit and Nominating Governance committees.
Three-time independent board director and nationally recognized speaker for women, leaders, and young girls.
Active member of ITSMF, ELC, IWF, and DDN; recipient of numerous awards.
MBA and BS from Illinois State University; proud First Lady of Apostolic Church in Syracuse alongside her husband, Senior Pastor George M. Jones.

David Segura

Serial entrepreneur, founder, and investor in tech and AI companies.
Founded and scaled VisionIT to nearly 10,000 employees across U.S. and Mexico.
Co-founder of the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC).
Board member at Principal Financial’s Elevate and Stanford’s Latino Business Action Network.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year; U.S. Hispanic Chamber Hispanic Business Person of the Year.
Presidential appointee to the Advisory Committee on Trade & Negotiations.
Champion for expanding African-American and Latino leadership in tech.

Alana Ward Robinson

ITSMF Founder

Robinson Consulting Group, Inc. – CEO/Founder

The Carl Williams Award

Under the leadership of Carl Williams, this 501c(3) organization began recruiting professionals who ranked among the Who’s Who in technology, along with companies and individuals that boldly dared to disrupt the status quo among technology executives.

Qualifications:

All nominees must display the following characteristics for consideration:

Leadership
Courage
Integrity
Unapologetically Bold
Strategic Thinker
Community Champion

Eligibility requirements:

Be a current member of ITSMF for at least 10 consecutive years in either an Executive or Associate member classification.
The individual also promotes the goals and philosophies of ITSMF.

James Dallas

James Dallas and Associates – CEO

Lifetime Achievement Award

This award is presented to an executive who has exhibited outstanding, creative, innovative, and visionary leadership in the growth and advancement of the technology industry and who has consistently gone above and beyond to embody ITSMF’s mission and values through their engagement, stewardship, mentorship, sponsorship, and volunteerism. It is one of the highest honors an individual can receive during their career.

Executive Member of the Year

Subrena Robinson

ITSMF

Associate Member of the Year

Joel Stephen

HP, Inc.

Technology Executive of the Year

(C-Suite executives only) nominees must be the highest-ranking Technology/Digital Executive of a company 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.

Technology Executive of the Year – Global
(Leader of a Fortune 100 company with reach beyond the U.S. and U.S. territories)

Technology Executive of the Year – Enterprise/Corporate
(Leader of a Fortune 1000 company with local or global reach)

Technology Executive of the Year – Education
(Leader of an accredited U.S. based secondary institution, college or university)

Technology Executive of the Year – Nonprofit/Public Sector
(Leader of government institution or other not-for-profit organization generating at minimum $1M in revenue)

Technology Executive of the Year – SMB (Small and Medium-sized Business)
(Leader of a business with 100 or fewer employees (small), or 100-999 employees (medium-sized)

Kateau James

McKinsey and Company

Denise Russell Fleming

Becton Dickinson

Norman Fleming

Chicago Public Schools

Dwana Franklin-Davis

Reboot Representation

Brandon T. Jones

Throughline

Entrepreneur of the Year – (C-Suite executives only) nominees must be the Founder/Owner of a technology product or services company with more than $5M in annual revenue who is also a thought leader or influencer.

Damani Short

Lexico

Entrepreneur of the Year – (C-Suite executives only) nominees must be the Founder/Owner of a technology product or services company with $1 Million – $5 Million in annual revenue who is also a thought leader or influencer.

Ron Meeting

Rapid Strategy

Technology Leader on the Rise

Non C-Suite executives nominees are Technology/Digital Executives one or two levels from the C-Suite (i.e. 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

Technology Leader on the Rise – Global
(Leader of a Fortune 100 company with reach beyond the U.S. and U.S. territories)

Technology Leader on the Rise – Enterprise/Corporate
(Leader of a Fortune 1000 company with local or global reach)

Technology Leader on the Rise – Education
(Leader of an accredited U.S. based secondary institution, college or university)

Technology Leader on the Rise – Nonprofit/Public Sector
(Leader of government institution or other not-for-profit organization generating at minimum $1M in revenue)

Technology Leader on the Rise – SMB (Small and Medium-sized Business)
(Leader of a business with 100 or fewer employees (small), or 100-999 employees (medium-sized)