CRN Women Of The Year 2026: The Finalists

CRN’s Women of the Year Awards aims to shine a spotlight on women who have made significant contributions to the channel throughout 2026.

CRN is pleased to introduce the finalists for the fourth annual Women of the Year Awards, a project that aims to shine a spotlight on women who have made significant contributions to the channel throughout 2026 and the companies that support them.

The finalists -- spanning 19 individual categories and two company categories -- were selected by a panel of judges from a pool of over 300 applicants. Next, a panel of judges comprised of CRN editors and members of the channel community at large will select the winners, who will be announced and celebrated at the CRN Women of the Year Awards Gala on December 8 at Pier Sixty in New York City.

“The finalists for the CRN Women of the Year Awards represent some of the most accomplished and influential leaders across the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP of U.S. Content and Executive Editor at CRN, The Channel Company. “Their accomplishments reflect the talent, determination, and forward-thinking approach that continue to strengthen our industry. We are honored to recognize their achievements and celebrate the meaningful impact they are making throughout the industry.”

Click ahead for a look at the finalists in each category as well as the unedited bio information each applicant provided.

Community Impact Award

Blend360

Blend360 is a premier data, analytics, and AI company operating across 15+ countries with more than 1,300 professionals. With $200M in annual revenue and an AI-native foundation built since 2016, Blend360 deploys advanced technology not just for client outcomes but in service of a broader mission: building stronger communities, championing equity in technology, and ensuring AI benefits everyone. The programs below reflect a company that measures its impact not only in revenue, but in lives changed.

Home | D&H

Community Impact Award

D&H Distributing

D&H Distributing is a leading technology distributor of IT and electronics offering end-to-end solutions for today's reseller and retailer and the clients they serve across the SMB and Consumer markets.

Community Impact Award

Epoch Concepts

Epoch Concepts, LLC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and trusted value-added reseller, delivering mission-ready IT solutions to government agencies, commercial enterprises, and systems integrators. Specializing in cutting-edge technologies, from storage and infrastructure to cybersecurity, cloud, and hyperconverged solutions, Epoch Concepts delivers future ready integrated systems that empower customers to make faster decisions, strengthen mission readiness, and operate securely in any environment. Learn more at https://www.epochconcepts.com.

Community Impact Award

Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA)

The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) is the only vendor-neutral, 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership community connecting and representing the worldwide IT channel. We set our members up for success by providing benefits that include trusted resources and networking opportunities. In addition, the association sets industry standards that enable companies to build sustainable, secure, and profitable businesses in an ever-changing technology landscape. Internationally, GTIA represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from more than 2,600 ITSPs, vendors, distributors and other companies serving the IT channel.

Community Impact Award

MicroAge

MicroAge is an award-winning full-service solutions integrator. For 50 years, we have empowered businesses to advance, secure, accelerate, and transform, quickly adapting to technology changes across the channel to drive business forward.

Community Impact Award

Microserve

At Microserve, we foster strong, inclusive communities – through service that cares, values that unite, and technology that powers possibilities. Founded in 1987, we are a 100% Canadian-owned family business that provides IT solutions that empower people to be successful and reach their goals.. We are recognized as a 2024 Canada’s Best Managed Company, recognizing our exceptional service delivery and community impact through job creation, professional development, and philanthropy.

Community Impact Award

TD SYNNEX

TD SYNNEX is a leading global distributor, solutions aggregator, and original design and contract manufacturer that plays a central role in connecting the technology ecosystem. We support more than 150,000 customers across over 100 countries with a comprehensive edge-to-cloud portfolio spanning cybersecurity, analytics, artificial intelligence, mobility, and Everything-as-a-Service. We are a Fortune 100 company that helps partners maximize the value of technology investments and achieve measurable business outcomes through our global reach, expertise and enablement capabilities. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and Fremont, California, the Company's distribution business brings together a broad portfolio of IT hardware, software and systems, providing access to products across the global IT ecosystem. The Company's Hyve Solutions business partners with technology companies to design, manufacture, and deliver traditional and accelerated compute, cloud, and connected infrastructure.

Community Impact Award

Televerde

Televerde is a global revenue creation partner supporting marketing, sales, and customer success organizations for B2B companies worldwide. Since its founding in 1995, the company has helped enterprise organizations grow pipeline, improve customer engagement, and scale revenue operations while operating one of the most unique workforce development models in the technology industry. Televerde combines business performance with purpose by providing professional training, career development, and employment opportunities to incarcerated women preparing to reenter the workforce. Through its partnership with correctional institutions, the company has helped over 4,700 women transition into professional careers while contributing meaningfully to their families, communities, and the broader economy. Today, Televerde supports global clients across the technology ecosystem and has generated more than $14 billion in revenue for customers since its founding. The company is recognized not only for its business performance, but also for demonstrating how workforce opportunity, economic mobility, and community impact can be integrated into a scalable business model.

Employer of the Year

AgileBlue

AgileBlue is an AI-native cybersecurity company delivering 24/7 managed detection and response, autonomous SOC capabilities, and security operations solutions for businesses and channel partners. Built to help eliminate security silos and simplify cybersecurity operations, AgileBlue combines advanced AI, human-led threat monitoring, and partner-first enablement to help organizations detect, respond to, and prevent modern cyber threats across endpoint, cloud, network, and SaaS environments.

Employer of the Year

Agiloft

Agiloft is the global leader in data-first CLM, providing an AI-native, no-code platform to automate complex workflows. Alongside Astra™, Agiloft's advanced contract analytics platform uses AI to accelerate redlining and risk identification. Trusted by global brands, Agiloft delivers a 99.6% implementation success rate and unmatched contract intelligence.

Employer of the Year

Blend360

Blend360 is a $200M, 1,300+ person global AI and data services company operating across 15+ countries, founded in 2016 with AI in its DNA. Blend helps the world's leading enterprises unlock the full value of their data through data science, data engineering, AI consulting, and agentic AI solutions, delivered through BlendX, Blend's Enterprise Agentic AI Foundry. Named an AIM Research Leader in both Generative AI and Agentic AI for the second consecutive year in 2026, Blend is an AWS Premier Services Partner (top 1% globally), Snowflake Elite Partner, and Databricks Silver Partner. The company is certified Great Place to Work across eight countries and three consecutive years, not as a credential, but as a reflection of a culture built to last.

Employer of the Year

Cribl

Cribl, the AI Platform for Telemetry, empowers enterprises to manage and analyze telemetry for both humans and agents. Trusted by organizations worldwide, including half of the Fortune 100, Cribl bridges the gap between AI ambition and infrastructure reality. No lock-in. No data loss. No compromises. Cribl’s vendor-agnostic platform ensures data remains portable and interoperable. By cost-effectively handling increasing data volume and variety without delay, Cribl gives enterprises the choice, control, and flexibility to build what’s next.

Home | D&H

Employer of the Year

D&H Distributing

Employer of the Year

Microserve

Employer of the Year

People Driven Technology

People Driven Technology is a customer-obsessed, family-owned technology partner delivering outcomes across networking, cybersecurity, data center, collaboration, and physical security—on-prem, cloud, or as a service. Our unified lifecycle approach and decades of engineering expertise drive measurable success for mid-market and global enterprises across healthcare, financial, manufacturing, public sector, and beyond.

Employer of the Year

PIER Group

PIER Group is a woman-owned technology solutions provider dedicated exclusively to the research and education (R&E) community. Founded in 2018 by a team with more than 30 years of experience, PIER Group partners with universities, research institutions, and research and education networks across the country to deliver innovative technology solutions that support discovery, collaboration, and academic advancement. The company specializes in campus infrastructure, research computing, networking, data center solutions, and strategic IT consulting. PIER Group is known for its relationship-driven approach, helping institutions modernize technology environments while supporting their long-term missions. Headquartered in Jasper, Indiana, the company has earned recognition for its innovation, customer partnerships, and workplace culture,

Employer of the Year

ScalePad

ScalePad enables MSPs to shift from reactive service to strategic impact, using Customer Success as the engine that drives trust, retention, and revenue. Our platform unifies risk insights, client planning, and success delivery, helping MSPs lead smarter conversations, close bigger deals, and show their value with every client.

Employer of the Year

TD SYNNEX

Employer of the Year

Vtech Dealer IT

VTech Dealer IT is an automotive-exclusive managed IT provider established in 2011. The company serves dealerships and auto groups nationwide with managed IT services, cybersecurity and compliance, and 24/7/365 support.

CEO of the Year

Michelle Accardi, Liongard

Michelle Accardi is an innovative leader with more than two decades of growing Managed Service Providers and technology companies. At Liongard, she is responsible for accelerating the company’s growth and bolstering its product portfolio.

Prior to Liongard, Michelle was CEO of Logically, one of the nation’s largest cybersecurity-focused MSPs, and President and Chief Revenue Officer of Star2Star. In those roles, she inspired and maintained growth for the company and its partners to ensure their customers received significant value from their products and services.

Michelle graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in political science and holds an MBA from American Intercontinental University. Outside of Liongard, she is an avid supporter of youth organizations, including Pop Warner sports and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

CEO of the Year

Melissa Di Donato, Kyriba

Melissa Di Donato is Chair and CEO of Kyriba, the global leader in liquidity performance. Since taking the helm in 2023, she has led the company through record growth, a major platform reinvention, and the launch of Kyriba's agentic AI suite, TAI.

Before Kyriba, Melissa was CEO of SUSE, where she became the first woman to take a multi-billion Euro company public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. She has held senior executive roles at SAP, Salesforce, IBM and Oracle across a 25-year career in enterprise technology.

Melissa serves as a Member of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG and as a Non-Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Europe. She previously served on the advisory board of the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and co-authored the final report of the Department for Business and Trade's SME Digital Adoption Taskforce.

She is co-founder of Inner Wings, a charitable foundation working with over 150 UK primary schools to build confidence in children aged 6-12, and is a dedicated advocate for gender equity in the technology sector.

CEO of the Year

Prerna Goja, Zensa, LLC

Prerna Goja is the Founder and CEO of Zensa, a global AI, cloud, and engineering transformation firm serving Fortune 500 enterprises, US defense programs, and state & local governments across six countries. Under her leadership, Zensa has achieved 300% growth in its government vertical, launched defense technology engagements alongside Microsoft and Anduril, and expanded its partner ecosystem to include Cisco, IBM, and Anduril. A recognized voice on DEI, digital accessibility, and enterprise AI, Prerna has scaled companies from $5M to over $200M and secured investment from Microsoft.

CEO of the Year

Kate Johnson, Lumen Technologies

Kate Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lumen Technologies and a member of its board of directors.

Kate is a seasoned technology innovator with a proven track record of driving business transformation success at several Fortune 100 companies. Focused on moving innovation and shareholder value forward, Kate leads with the strategic and go‑to‑market skills developed over 20 years as a growth‑oriented B2B enterprise technology disruptor.

Kate champions digital innovations that create the best customer experience and solutions. This starts with unlearning old success models and creating an environment that spurs advancement and sets Lumen apart.

Kate joined the company in 2022. Prior to Lumen, Kate held executive leadership roles at Microsoft, GE Digital and Oracle, as well as various commercial and technology leadership roles at Red Hat, UBS Investment Bank and Deloitte Consulting. She has served on the board of directors for UPS since 2020.

Kate earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University and her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

CEO of the Year

Maryann Pagano, BlackHawk Data

Maryann Pagano is co-Founder and CEO of BlackHawk Data, a rapidly growing, woman-owned technology solutions provider and managed services vendor. With more than two decades of IT channel experience, Maryann drives the company’s strategic vision, revenue growth, and partner ecosystem. She is known for her ability to build strong relationships and align sales, marketing, and vendor partnerships to deliver exceptional client outcomes.

Since co-founding BlackHawk Data in 2018, Maryann has led the organization from startup to a nationally recognized IT provider with more than 55 employees, multiple office locations, and continued year-over-year growth. Under her leadership, the company has earned numerous awards. Maryann credits her years in the channel and her ability to build strong partnerships as a huge part of the business’ success.

Maryann is passionate about lifting others and continues to pay it forward actively mentoring women in technology and hosts quarterly Women in Tech roundtables to elevate female leaders and voices in the industry. Maryann continues to provide mentorships to both employees, members of the WOTC community and multiple colleges throughout the New York Metro Area.

CEO of the Year

Kristin Russell, CBTS

As CEO of CBTS and a member of its Board of Directors, Kristin shapes and drives the strategic direction of the organization. A dynamic visionary, she is guiding the evolution of CBTS from a traditional infrastructure and managed services firm into a market leader in AI-enabled digital transformation solutions. Kristin is a seasoned industry veteran with over 20 years of experience driving transformative growth at top companies in the technology sector. Prior to joining CBTS, she served as the President of Arrow Electronics’ Global Enterprise Computing Solutions (ECS) division. Before joining Arrow, Kristin held key leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems. She also served as the Secretary of Technology and Chief Information Officer for the State of Colorado. Kristin’s leadership has earned her numerous industry accolades, including recognition on CRN’s ‘Top 100 Channel Leaders’, the GTDC Innovator Award, Women We Admire’s ‘100 Women in Technology’, and CIO of the Year by the Denver Business Journal.

CEO of the Year

Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy, Plugable Technologies

Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy is CEO of Plugable Technologies, a provider of USB, docking station, and connectivity solutions for today’s multi-platform workplace. Lynn brings extensive leadership experience guiding companies through growth, transformation, and market inflection points, including recent success ushering in a strategic minority investment from Acer Gadget. Leading businesses ranging from $20 million to $2.7 billion in revenue, Smurthwaite-Murphy has shaped private companies, global distribution, managed services, and branded product businesses through significant channel evolution, digital transformation, supply chain complexity, and changing customer expectations. Before joining Plugable, Smurthwaite-Murphy served as president and CEO of StarTech.com and held several senior leadership roles with Westcon-Comstor and Westcon, including EVP of North America, VP/GM Canada, VP and GM of Convergence North America, and General Manager of Canada. Lynn led the North American region with 600 employees, four divisions, and $2.7 billion in revenue. Her efforts contributed to growing the StarTech business by more than 50%in 3 years and Westcon Comstor’s business 80% in six years and built the security division into a $1 billion business. She is a board member of a large 3PL and an EDC and provides top-level perspectives on AI, cybersecurity, governance, succession, growth strategy, and organizational change.

CEO of the Year

Lisa Spelman, Cornelis Networks

Lisa Spelman is CEO of Cornelis, where she is leading the company's mission to advance next-generation AI and high-performance computing infrastructure. A respected technology executive with more than 20 years of experience spanning AI, cloud, data center, and enterprise infrastructure, Spelman is known for her ability to translate complex technical innovation into meaningful business outcomes.

Prior to joining Cornelis, Spelman served as Corporate Vice President of Intel's Xeon Products and Solutions business within the company's Data Center and AI Group, helping drive one of the industry's most widely deployed platforms for enterprise and cloud computing. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles across product strategy, infrastructure engineering, IT operations, enterprise sales, and finance, providing a unique perspective on how emerging technologies are developed, scaled, and brought to market.

Today, Spelman is focused on one of the defining challenges of the AI era: enabling organizations to deploy AI infrastructure that is scalable, efficient, and cost effective. Under her leadership, Cornelis is advancing high-performance networking technologies that help customers unlock greater performance, utilization, and value from increasingly complex AI and HPC environments.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Sara Blengeri

VP, Strategic Partnerships and Channel

Netrix Global

Sara Blengeri is a dynamic VP of Strategic Alliances and Channel with a proven track record in the channel ecosystems at expanding market reach and driving partner-led revenue. Sara specializes in go-to-market strategy, various strategic routes to market, channel scale and enablement. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Sales from Eastern Illinois University. Sara is passionate about building long-term, mutually beneficial partner relationships. With 20+ years of experience in direct sales, channel and strategic alliances, building channel programs and leading high performing channel teams, Sara drives revenue growth by optimizing partner ecosystems and launching partner programs.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Heather Connally

Director, Cloud Alliances & Channel Programs

SoftwareOne

Heather Eileen Connally is a seasoned IT channel leader with over 20 years of experience spanning sales, marketing, business intelligence, vendor management, and account management. With a strong focus on collaboration and strategic execution, she brings deep expertise in building and accelerating partnerships that drive mutual growth and business impact.

In her role at Crayon, a SoftwareOne company, Heather leads the Hyperscaler strategy, accelerating deal velocity through strategic co-selling while also leading Channel Programs that unlock growth with and through Channel Partners. She works closely with Crayon’s leadership to design and implement a joint business plan that enhances Crayon’s market position and delivers greater value to customers through shared initiatives and go-to-market efforts.

Prior to joining Crayon, Heather led the global Microsoft Alliance at Teradata, a top-tier Global ISV partner. There, she oversaw the full spectrum of partnership activities—from build with, sell with, to market with strategies—ensuring deep integration across both organizations. Earlier in her career, Heather held multiple executive roles at Ingram Micro, including positions in VAR sales, global marketing operations, and vendor management. Notably, she also led Ingram’s Microsoft US relationship, bringing a deep understanding of partner dynamics and go-to-market strategy.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Brenda Hudson

Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales

Insight Enterprises

Brenda Hudson assumed her role as senior vice president of commercial sales, sales enablement, and learning and development in Jan. 2021. She joined Insight in 2015 as vice president of inside sales.

Prior to joining Insight, Hudson served as executive director of sales at Dell Technologies. During her 15-year tenure, she held several sales leadership roles, including growing the business into new territories across the U.S. Hudson also held global roles developing Dell’s acquisitions strategy and supporting managed services.

Hudson earned a degree in business management from Ashford University. Before entering the IT industry at Dell, Hudson worked for American Airlines where she developed sales training programs and led global sales teams focused on expanding into new business opportunities.

Today, Hudson leads Insight commercial sales teammates across North America to help clients achieve desired business outcomes through Insight Intelligent Technology Solutions™. She lives out Insight’s core values by building trust first. With trust in place, Hudson guides others into new growth opportunities so they can achieve their highest potential.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Lei-Lei Leon

Vice President - ServiceNow Alliances & Programs

SHI International

Lei-Lei Leon is Vice President of Strategic Software at SHI International, where she leads strategy, growth, and execution across a portfolio of key partner practices including ServiceNow, Adobe, IBM, Red Hat, and Atlassian.

In less than a year after taking the reins of SHI’s ServiceNow practice, Lei-Lei helped drive more than 57% year-over-year licensing growth and over 33% gross margin growth by strengthening partner alignment, accelerating sales execution, expanding services opportunities, and improving customer outcomes. She also championed SHI’s differentiated ServiceNow integration offering, designed to help customers connect, manage, and realize greater value across their environments.

A results-oriented leader, Lei-Lei turns strategy into execution across alliances, go-to-market programs, sales enablement, services growth, and IT asset management. Her leadership has strengthened SHI’s partner ecosystem while creating new opportunities for customers, sellers, and delivery teams.

Beyond business growth, Lei-Lei is committed to developing people and building inclusive, high-performing teams. She mentors emerging leaders and serves as executive sponsor for SHI’s AAPI employee resource group, advocating for representation, belonging, and leadership development. Through her ability to deliver measurable growth, champion innovation, and elevate others, she continues to make a lasting impact across SHI, its partners, and the customers they serve every day forward.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Shannon Sigmon

Head of Channel, NORAM

SoftwareOne

Shannon Sigmon is a service first leader with 20+ years of experience in the IT industry. She has built and led high performing sales teams, driven strategic channel initiatives, and consistently delivered significant year over year growth and best in class customer experiences. As Head of Channel at SoftareOne, Shannon leads the NORAM channel teams with full responsibility for go to market strategy, channel partner programs, sales management, and interdepartmental collaboration. Her leadership spans new and existing market expansion across strategy, employee development, and customer focused execution. Prior to Softwareone/Crayon, Shannon served as Field Sales Manager at SHI International Corp, where she coordinated Engineering, Services, and Partner Sales resources to deliver customer solutions, achieving 45% year over year revenue growth in Q1 2023, at 124% to plan. Shannon earned her degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Throughout her career she has received numerous accolades including Leadership and Individual Excellence Awards at Lenovo, and Silver and Crystal Partner Awards for her work in partnership with The Coca Cola Company.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider

Ashley Simms

Director of Sales, Great Lakes

Bluum

Ashley Simms is Director of Sales, Great Lakes at Bluum and a technology channel leader with more than 16 years of experience driving growth, building strategic partnerships, and developing high-performing teams. Throughout her career, she has built a reputation for turning strategy into execution while creating long-term value for customers, partners, and organizations.

Prior to joining Bluum, Ashley held leadership positions at DHE Computer Systems and HP, where she successfully led sales organizations, developed go-to-market strategies, and strengthened partner ecosystems. At DHE, she led the national commercial sales organization, driving 63 percent growth and generating more than $7.2 million in incremental revenue. During her 14-year tenure at HP, she held multiple sales and channel leadership roles and was recognized with HP's prestigious Americas Amaze Award for her contributions to business impact and company culture.

Ashley is also a passionate advocate for leadership development and inclusion. She founded and chaired HP EmpowHER, an initiative focused on supporting professional and personal growth through mentorship, networking, and community building.

Known for her customer-first mindset, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to continuous improvement, Ashley is dedicated to helping organizations, partners, and people reach their full potential.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Anja Bernardy-Raab

Global VP, Partner Autonomy

SAP SE

Anja is a seasoned business executive with over 25 years’ experience in the software industry, with a successful track record in consulting, IT, partner strategy, and channel management.

Her focus is on building effective partner coverage models to drive SAP’s growth strategy, with an emphasis on business innovation and cloud transformation. Currently, Anja is leading SAP’s new Partner-Driven Go-to-Market approach that focuses on building a partner autonomy model which offers partners to navigate dedicated territories in a self-sufficient way.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Elisabeth De Dobbeleer

SVP, Global Partner Program GTM

Cisco

Elisabeth brings 20+ years of diverse experience to her role as leader of Cisco’s Global Partner Program GTM organization. Focused on redefining how Cisco engages, incentivizes, and delivers value through its ecosystem, Elisabeth led the transformation behind the Cisco 360 Partner Program and now drives the next phase of Cisco’s partner go-to-market evolution for the AI era.

Elisabeth’s team is focused on aligning partner economics, GTM strategy, and modern routes-to-market to accelerate durable growth and profitability for both Cisco and its partners. Her organization drives Cisco’s value proposition to the partner ecosystem through a unified, programmatic approach, strengthening partner preference, building strategic capabilities, and enabling Cisco partners to deliver differentiated customer outcomes.

Previously, Elisabeth was a key member of the Cisco Transformation Center, where she spearheaded major business transformations, including the launch of the Cisco Partner Incentive. Prior to that, Elisabeth led Cisco’s EMEA Partner Sales and Routes-to-Market organization, where she was responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives across the region.

Elisabeth holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and graduated from KU Leuven in Belgium. Outside of work, she is a proud mother of two teenage boys, enjoys working with horses, and holds a black belt in judo.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Alix Douglas

Group Vice President, Global Technology Partnerships

ServiceNow

Alix Douglas is a transformational force in the technology partner ecosystem. As Group Vice President of Global Technology Partnerships at ServiceNow, she architects and executes the partner strategy that powers one of the fastest-growing AI platforms in enterprise technology, driving measurable revenue growth, deeper customer outcomes, and a partner ecosystem that consistently punches above its weight.

With more than two decades of experience across channel leadership, ISV partnerships, and go-to-market strategy, Alix has built and scaled complex, high-performing ecosystems at some of the industry's most influential companies—Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce among them. She brings a rare combination of strategic vision and operational discipline. She not only sets direction, she also executes it.

At ServiceNow, Alix has redefined what partner-led growth looks like in the AI era, expanding solution adoption, unlocking new revenue streams, and equipping partners to deliver differentiated, industry-specific outcomes for customers. Her leadership is defined by trust, bold collaboration, and a relentless focus on joint value creation.

The results speak for themselves: under her leadership, the ServiceNow partner ecosystem is growing faster, innovating deeper, and delivering greater customer impact than ever before.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Laura Falko

Head, Global PartnerPrograms, Marketing & Experience

Broadcom

Laura McGregor Falko is the Head of Global Partner Programs, Marketing & Experience at Broadcom. She is responsible for marketing and non-technical enablement strategies across all partner routes, and leading and building the global partner programs for the six software divisions including: Enterprise Software, Cybersecurity Software, Mainframe Software and VMware divisions. Laura joined Broadcom through the acquisition of CA in 2018, and she brings more than 20 years of leadership, partner program architecture, go to market strategy and partner marketing experience, with a proven track record of driving strategic global initiatives to increase pipeline, revenue, customer satisfaction and channel partner loyalty. Prior to CA, Laura helped lead the marketing transformation from Symantec to Veritas and integration of partner marketing with Veritas' direct sales. She also spent 10 years in field and indirect marketing leadership roles at Nextel/Sprint. Laura earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Central Florida. Laura is based in Central Florida and lives with her husband, Troy.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Heidi Gigler

Director, Strategic Partner Advocacy

Fortinet

Heidi's mission is to create remarkable customer and partner experiences, develop innovative GTM strategies, and develop strong relationships that build loyalty and drive profitability. Life-long learner. Believes every day is the best day of the year.

Specialties: GTM Strategy; Advisory Board Expertise; Public Speaker; Demand Generation; Revenue Operations & Customer Lifecycle Management; Campaign Strategy and Execution; Marketing Automation, AI; Content Development; Channel Strategy; Marketing/Sales Alignment; Cybersecurity; Market Research & Communications

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Nina Harding

Corporate Vice President, Americas Enterprise Partner Solutions, Microsoft

Microsoft

Nina Harding is the Corporate Vice President of the Americas Enterprise Partner Solutions organization at Microsoft, where she leads an ecosystem of software development company and services partners to accelerate customer transformation. Her team works across the partner landscape to build, scale, and deliver AI-powered solutions that drive innovation, efficiency, and business growth on the Microsoft Cloud.

The Americas EPS organization ensures the health and growth of the partner ecosystem, bringing together specialized teams to co-innovate with partners, expand AI and solution capabilities, and maximize the value customers realize from their Microsoft investments.

Nina has extensive experience working with partners to accelerate joint success. Prior to joining Microsoft, a worldwide organization at Google to grow the company’s partner ecosystem. Prior, she spent 13 years with SAP as the VP of Global Business Development and Sales Programming and held partner and customer leadership roles at Cacheon and Oracle. She earned her GS at Dartmouth College and an MBA from Kellogg. Nina resides in Palm Beach, Florida with her family.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Brook Lee

Sr Director of Community

Rev.io

Brook Lee is Senior Director of Community at Rev.io, an AI-first SaaS company serving the MSP market with a PSA platform. She leads Rev.io's community, content, podcast, newsletter, events, and channel enablement functions.

Brook's career spans more than 15 years in the MSP industry. She began as a technician, moved into consulting where she rebuilt hundreds of MSPs, and transitioned vendor-side at Pia, ScalePad, and Liongard before joining Rev.io in January 2026. At Liongard she led the shift of the company's messaging to specifically sell to MSPs: rebuilding the website around role-based personas, retraining the sales team, producing video and webinar content, and authoring the persona framework that now informs her work at Rev.io. She has been named to CRN's Channel Chiefs list in both 2025 and 2026, recognized across two consecutive years and two different companies.

Brook is Co-Chair of GTIA's North American Executive Council, a member of GTIA's Global Leadership Council, and is helping shape ChannelCon's educational tracks. She received the 2026 GTIA Community Leadership Award, authored a published guidebook on hiring and retaining women and minorities at MSPs, and co-created GWIT in a Box with Adam Proulx, now adopted across multiple GTIA regions.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Shannon Lynch

Sr. Industry Marketing Manager

Wasabi Technologies

Shannon Lynch is an accomplished channel and industry marketing leader with a proven track record of building go-to-market strategies that strengthen partner ecosystems and accelerate business growth. Throughout her career, she has successfully evolved from top-performing roles in enterprise sales and business development to strategic marketing leadership, combining deep technical knowledge with compelling storytelling to drive measurable results. As a Sr. Industry Marketing Manager at Wasabi Technologies, she leads go-to-market initiatives for managed service providers and higher education verticals, developing integrated campaigns that connect partners and customers with solutions to today’s evolving data storage and cyber resilience challenges. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Shannon partners across product, sales, channel, and executive teams to translate complex technologies into impactful messaging and programs that drive awareness, engagement, and partner success. Passionate about mentorship and advancing women in technology, she is committed to fostering meaningful relationships and creating opportunities for others to grow. Shannon's strategic vision, creativity, and dedication to innovation have established her as a respected marketing leader and trusted advocate for the channel community.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Louise McEvoy

SVP, Global Channel Sales

Keyfactor

Louise McEvoy is the SVP of Global Channel at Keyfactor, where she leads global partner strategy and ecosystem growth. Known for driving innovative, partner-first approaches, she previously spent 10 years at Trend Micro modernizing its US channel business and earning top industry accolades.

Louise has been widely recognized for her leadership in the channel, including being named a CRN Channel Chief (2019–2024, 2026) and a CRN Women of the Channel Power 100 honoree (2019–2024), as well as a member of the 2026 CRN Women of the Channel list. She is also a recipient of the Channel Futures Channel Influencer Award (2023), the Channel Partners Circle of Excellence – Channel Leader of the Year (2025), the Channel Focus – The Advocate Award (2024), and was named a ForzaDash Top Channel Leader (2022). She serves on the Channel Executive Council and Baptie Women’s Leadership Council.

Outside of tech, Louise is a high-altitude mountaineer, climbing the world's highest mountains, including the summit of Mt. Everest. She frequently speaks on leadership, resilience, and helping others reach their own summit.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Julie Peoples

Chief Customer Officer

Telarus

Julie Peoples is a transformative customer-experience executive whose decisive leadership and innovative mindset have quickly made her a standout in the channel. As Chief Customer Officer at Telarus, she draws on 20+ years supporting independent financial advisors to redefine the partner experience, bringing modern, loyalty-driven service strategies to the channel.

Julie's core philosophy is simple: high-performing teams deliver exceptional service, earn trust, and gain lasting competitive advantage. This belief fueled her achievements in wealth management, where she built award-winning service models that deepened advisor loyalty and shifted market share. Now, she brings that same focus to Telarus, raising the bar for operational excellence and advisor experience across its global ecosystem.

In her first year, Julie has already driven meaningful change. She established the Telarus Center of Excellence, introduced a quality assurance framework, improved training and change management, and championed a people-first service model blending technology with genuine human expertise.

Under her leadership, Telarus has achieved double-digit improvements in key advisor-facing metrics—including a 60% reduction in commission case cycle time, a 23% improvement in pricing turnaround, a 13% acceleration in deal registration, and a 113% boost in commission inquiry responsiveness—even as overall volume increased.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Zuzana Piling

Executive Director Avanade Worldwide

Microsoft

Zuzana Piling is a global partner and ecosystem leader with 20+ years of experience driving
enterprise growth across cloud, AI, and industry solutions. As Global Executive Director at
Microsoft, she leads the strategic partnership with Avanade, within the Accneture – Avanade Alliance, shaping joint strategy, go-to-market execution, and co-sell motions across regions and segments. Known for building market leading, high-performing, AI-native ecosystems, she translates innovation into measurable customer and commercial impact, aligning senior stakeholders and scaling repeatable growth models globally.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Julie Rosenberg

Head of Global Partner Programs

Nozomi Networks

Julie Rosenberg has over 15 years of experience in the channel and leads Global Partner Programs at Nozomi Networks. Rosenberg is known for building partner programs that drive real selling behavior, with a focus on enabling partner sellers and systems engineers who influence technical buying decisions.

Over the past year, Rosenberg has focused on reshaping partner programs to better activate partner sellers and systems engineers, aligning enablement and access to how deals are actually driven and won.

Rosenberg’s approach centers on ensuring partners can operate as true extensions of the Nozomi sales team, with the tools, access, and clarity needed to influence pipeline and revenue outcomes.

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Bhargs Srivathsan

Director, Customer Success

Amazon Web Services

Bhargs Srivathsan leads the Customer Success Center of Excellence for Amazon Web Services, where she is responsible for defining and executing on the strategic vision for customer success across AWS’ services. In this role, she focuses on ensuring AWS customers realize tangible business value from their technology investments, particularly as the pace of innovation accelerates with AI and other emerging technologies. She works closely with the AWS field, specialist GTM leaders, and partners across AWS to build and scale customer success capabilities that drive adoption and business outcomes for customers.

Prior to joining AWS, Bhargs was a Partner in McKinsey's High-Tech Practice, where she spent nine years advising leading technology companies, including hyperscalers and SaaS providers, on growth strategy, product portfolio optimization, and operational excellence. She led numerous large-scale transformation programs focused on sales acceleration and product strategy, helping global technology companies capture opportunities in cloud and AI. Her work included developing industry-focused business solutions, GTM motions targeted at line of business personas, and customer success practices. She has deep expertise in helping organizations scale their go-to-market capabilities and drive customer adoption across complex product portfolios. Before McKinsey, Bhargs held engineering and PM roles at Intel Corporation and Microsoft

Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Jackie Steinberg

Channel Chief

Legacy Investing Data Centers

I have spent more than 20 years building channel partnerships, driving revenue growth, and helping organizations navigate technology transformation. In January 2026, I joined Legacy Data Centers as Channel Chief to build a channel ecosystem focused on AI infrastructure and data center capacity.

Over the past year, I helped establish strategic relationships with technology advisors, TSDs, cloud providers, and enterprise customers while contributing to the successful leasing of two entire data center facilities totaling 83MW of capacity, including a 33MW facility in Chicago and a 50MW facility in Minneapolis. These transactions generated more than $12 million in monthly recurring revenue, representing approximately $154 million in annual contract value and more than $1.5 billion in contracted lease value over the 10-year lease terms.

Beyond business results, I am passionate about developing people and creating opportunities for others to succeed. As a member of the Alliance of Channel Women Board of Directors and a long-time advocate for mentorship, I am committed to supporting the next generation of women leaders in technology. I believe strong partnerships, innovation, and investing in people are the foundation of long-term success.

Sales Executive of the Year

Kelsey Besser

Strategic Customer Success Manager

Arctic Wolf

Kelsey Besser is a Strategic Customer Success Manager at Arctic Wolf Networks, a cybersecurity leader operating 100% through the channel. With over four years at Arctic Wolf, Kelsey has led sales teams across North America, Canada, and Latin America, built partner coverage models from the ground up, and now brings that same partner-first mindset to Arctic Wolf's most strategic accounts — driving expansion and retention alongside the channel partners she has spent years building relationships with. As Executive Mentor of Arctic Wolf's Women Transforming Technology ERG, Kelsey is as committed to building a stronger, more inclusive channel community as she is to hitting the number.
Community Impact Award
Employer of the Year
CEO of the Year
Channel Innovator of the Year - Solution Provider
Channel Innovator of the Year - Vendor or Distributor
Sales Executive of the Year
Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider
Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year
Role Model of the Year
Executive Mentor of the Year
Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider
Rising Star of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider
Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Ally of the Year
Woman of the Year - Solution Provider
Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor
Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor

Sales Executive of the Year

Sarah Cancellare

Director of Sales, NM & TX

ANM

Sarah Cancellare is the Director of Sales for New Mexico and Texas at ANM, where she leads regional sales strategy, develops high-performing teams, and helps clients solve complex technology challenges through trusted partnerships. Since joining ANM in 2019, Sarah has advanced from Senior Account Manager to Director of Sales, earning a reputation for driving growth, building strong client relationships, and developing top sales talent.

With more than 18 years of experience in technology sales, telecommunications, customer relationship management, and public sector funding programs, Sarah brings a unique combination of strategic vision and client-focused leadership. She has extensive experience helping state, local, and education organizations navigate technology modernization initiatives while maximizing the value of available funding opportunities.

Prior to ANM, Sarah held leadership and sales roles with Desert Communications, State Farm, and Pearson North America. Her career also includes experience as an educator, which shaped her collaborative leadership style and passion for mentoring others.

Sarah holds a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Notre Dame and is recognized for her commitment to client success, team development, and business growth.

Sales Executive of the Year

Tina Franchi

Partner Development Manager

Telarus

Tina Franchi is the Director of Partner Development at Telarus. Despite having no prior sales experience when she joined in January 2018—transitioning from operations—she opened the Tri-State Northeast Market and transformed it into Telarus' #1 revenue-producing sales region. Her exceptional performance earned her the Sales Leader of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.

Tina's strength lies in building high-trust, long-term relationships with advisors, helping them expand their businesses, diversify portfolios, and navigate complex technology landscapes. Her leadership style centers on authenticity, accessibility, and deep commitment to others' success.

Family is central to Tina's life. She's the proud mother of two daughters—Bianca and Alyssa—and wife of Antonio Franchi, CEO of Steel Dome. Bianca lives with propionic acidemia, a rare metabolic disorder, and has been a constant source of inspiration and perspective. Alyssa graduated from Sacred Heart University with a Marketing degree and Cybersecurity minor, now building her own channel career with Vonage.

Tina finds joy spending time with her family and three dogs: Bear (Bernese Mountain dog), Benji (Golden Retriever), and Bentley (yellow Lab). She brings a uniquely human approach to channel leadership—balancing performance with empathy, growth with trust, and results with lasting impact.

Sales Executive of the Year

Karen Goodman

Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales and Shared Services

Palo Alto Networks

Karen Goodman is the SVP, Commercial Sales and Shared Services at Palo Alto Networks, responsible for a $4B business and 74,000 customers. She was recognized as CRN's Women of the Channel Power 100 in 2025 and 2026. Previously, she led WW Commercial Sales and Global Enablement for NetApp, driving unprecedented growth. She also spent 8 years with Microsoft, most recently as US Chief Transformation Officer, where she received numerous awards, including Americas Manager of the Year, and was featured in the Women of Microsoft – US YouTube recruiting video. Prior to Microsoft, Karen worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, Blackbaud and FOXNews. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Sales Executive of the Year

Bryce Grow

SVP, Global Channel and Managed Service Partners

SentinelOne

Bryce Grow is a high-impact executive leader and ecosystem orchestrator with over 25 years of experience driving multi-billion-dollar revenue scaling across the cybersecurity, SaaS, and managed services sectors. In her recently expanded role as Senior Vice President of Global Channels and MSSPs at SentinelOne, Bryce spearheads the global strategy for distributors, resellers, and managed security service providers, aligning cross-functional teams to accelerate international growth and expand the company’s worldwide market footprint.

A multi-year CRN ""Woman of the Channel"" honoree, Bryce has a proven track record of engineering agile partner frameworks. Prior to her global promotion, she transformed SentinelOne’s Americas channel organization, deepening partner alignment. Her career is defined by scaling global business units, having previously managed a $1.1B ARR portfolio as Senior Director of National Solution Providers at Zscaler, where she was named the 2023 Global Channel Leader of the Year.

Throughout her tenure at technology leaders including NTT Ltd., Dimension Data, and AT&T, Bryce has consistently pioneered complex alliances and international teaming strategies. Beyond revenue achievements, she is a dedicated advocate for inclusive hiring and corporate culture, passionately mentoring women re-entering the workforce.

Sales Executive of the Year

Ariel Hayes

Director of Security Sales

SHI International

Ariel Hayes is the Director of Security Sales at SHI International, where she leads the Security Sales organization within the Advanced Solutions Group. Her teams are responsible for driving strategic growth across SHI’s security portfolio by partnering with sales, engineering, services, and key channel partners to help enterprise organizations modernize their security posture and maximize the value of their technology investments.

Ariel began her career at SHI as an Inside Account Executive and quickly established herself as a high-performing seller before transitioning into leadership. She has since built and scaled strategic specialized sales organizations, with a consistent focus on aligning teams, developing strong leaders, and driving accountability across key SHI markets.

Ariel’s leadership is embedded in building strategic teams and go-to-markets with a philosophy centered on developing people while driving a culture of execution. Under her leadership, SHI’s approach to security has evolved from a targeted sales effort into a more integrated, lifecycle-based model that connects pre-sales strategy, services, and post-sales adoption. What began as a three-person pilot has scaled into a multi-team organization of more than 20 sellers.

Sales Executive of the Year

Dangvy Keller

Vice President Sales

Veeam

Dangvy Keller leads strategy, sales, go-to-market execution, and overall sales performance for Veeam across the U.S. West.

Before joining Veeam, Dangvy spent eight years at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a range of sales leadership roles, most recently overseeing HPE’s $10B global distribution business. She also helped lead channel integration planning for HPE’s acquisitions of Aruba, SimpliVity, and Nimble Storage. Earlier in her career, Dangvy held marketing and vendor management roles at Ingram Micro, including senior vendor business manager, where she carried P&L responsibility for one of the company’s top manufacturers. With more than 20 years of IT channel experience, she has been recognized by CRN as a Top Channel Chief, Power 100 honoree, and Woman of the Channel. She is focused on accelerating Veeam’s growth by leveraging the strength and value of the partner ecosystem.

Dangvy is a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion. She leads Veeam’s Women in Green employee resource group and is dedicated to helping women grow their careers in IT.

Dangvy earned a BA from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from the University of Southern California. Outside of work, she enjoys college football, basketball, reading, and playing the piano. She lives in Anaheim,

Sales Executive of the Year

Kaye McMillan

Senior Vice President, SMB Sales

TD SYNNEX

Kaye McMillan is a seasoned sales executive and transformational leader with more than 25 years of experience shaping high-performing sales organizations at TD SYNNEX. As Senior Vice President of SMB Sales, she leads the strategic direction and execution of the company’s SMB sales organization, driving go-to-market priorities that help partners grow, compete, and succeed in an evolving IT channel landscape.

Known for her ability to connect strategy with execution, Kaye has built a reputation for leading teams through change, advancing productivity, and creating scalable programs that strengthen partner engagement and business performance. In her current role, she is focused on delivering a world-class experience for TD SYNNEX SMB partners while empowering her teams to operate with clarity, accountability, and customer-first focus.

Throughout her career, Kaye has held leadership roles spanning business transformation, productivity initiatives, strategic project management, and partner enablement. She served as executive lead for CommunitySolv, now PartnerLink, helping advance a community designed to improve partner connection and collaboration. Kaye holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Sales Executive of the Year

Lee Moser

Director, Channel Sales

Fortinet Federal

Lee Moser is a seasoned sales and business development leader with a wealth of experience in driving growth, forging strategic partnerships, and leading high-performance teams. With a deep understanding of the partner ecosystem, Lee has consistently built and executed successful sales strategies that cultivate long-term relationships and unlock new revenue streams. She is committed to leading large-scale business initiatives from opportunity assessment through bid development to successful contract negotiations.

Throughout her career, Lee has demonstrated an exceptional ability to deliver complex solutions and services to both government and commercial enterprises. Before joining Fortinet, she held key business and program management roles at industry-leading firms, including 3M, NEC, and VIDAR Systems.

She also participates in the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) Community of Interest, where she served as Programs Co-Chair. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and an MBA with a focus on Information Technology and Marketing from Marymount University.

Sales Executive of the Year

Sara Saber

Senior Account Executive Team Lead

inforcer

Sara Saber is a Senior Account Executive Team Lead at inforcer, where she has established herself as one of the standout sales professionals in the Microsoft channel. She joined as an Account Executive in 2024 and was promoted to Senior Account Executive, Team Lead in 2025, where she now combines a personal sales remit with mentoring and developing junior members of the UK sales team.

Sara brings eight years of channel sales experience to her role, including more than five years at ConnectWise, where she progressed from Business Development Manager to Regional Sales Manager.

Sales Executive of the Year

Kelly Sander

Executive Director, SMB Sales

Ingram Micro Inc.

Kelly Sander is an executive director at Ingram Micro. She is responsible for overseeing 20,000 channel partners, connecting resellers and vendors through the Trust X Alliance Community, and managing 200+ sales representatives both locally and internationally, as well as a global sales team.

Kelly believes that excellence in community, communication, and culture drive business success both internally and externally. Her 25 years of experience at Ingram Micro spans both inside management and field sales in various areas of public sector, midmarket, and SMB with exposure into organizational and vendor business planning, marketing, and reseller community development.

A Buffalo native, Kelly graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in business management with a concentration in financial analysis. Together with her boys, Kelly has dedicated time and energy to fundraise for various charities such as the American Heart Association, Buffalo's John R. Oishei Children's Hospital, Roswell Park, the City Mission, and WNY Honor Flight.

Sales Executive of the Year

Carol Singletary

Area Vice President, SW Region

Visual Edge IT

Carol Singletary is Regional Vice President of the Southwest Region for Visual Edge IT, where she leads the company's largest geographic region spanning Texas and California. A proven sales and business leader, Carol is responsible for driving revenue growth, developing high-performing teams, strengthening customer relationships, and advancing the company's client-obsessed culture.

With extensive experience in sales leadership and organizational development, Carol is known for her ability to build strong teams, develop future leaders, and create alignment across complex organizations. Since the formation of Visual Edge IT's Southwest Region in October 2025, she has played a pivotal role in unifying multiple markets, leadership teams, and operating models into a cohesive, high-performing organization.

Under Carol's leadership, the Southwest Region became Visual Edge IT's largest revenue-producing region, contributing more than 50% of the company's top-line revenue while also leading the organization in employee engagement. Her leadership philosophy centers on accountability, coaching, customer success, and continuous improvement, with a strong belief that exceptional employee experiences drive exceptional customer outcomes.

Widely respected for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to developing others, Carol is passionate about creating environments where employees can grow, customers can thrive, and organizations can achieve sustainable long-term success.

Sales Executive of the Year

Rachel Tucker

Account Director

EVOTEK

Rachel is a dynamic and results-driven Sales Executive with over 15 years of experience building and scaling partner ecosystems at her customers. She has consistently exceeded revenue targets while cultivating long-term strategic relationships with key channel partners and customers. She is well known for her consultative selling approach, relentless work ethic, and ability to align partner success with company growth objectives.

Sales Executive of the Year

Lacey Wean

Senior Director

Carahsoft Technology Corp.

Lacey Wean is a Senior Director at Carahsoft Technology Corp., where she leads sales teams supporting the company's Geospatial, Autonomy & Robotics, Space Tech, Aerospace & Maritime, Smart Cities, Law Enforcement, and Oracle business units. Since joining Carahsoft in 2012, she has helped expand the company's public sector business by developing strategic partnerships, growing emerging technology markets, and supporting technology vendors in building successful government sales programs.

Working with more than 300 technology partners, Lacey develops government go-to-market strategies, strengthens channel programs, and identifies opportunities across federal, state, and local markets. Her focus on long-term partnerships and customer success has helped her teams achieve approximately 20% year-over-year growth.

In addition to leading her business units, Lacey oversees Carahsoft's enterprise technology vertical strategy, mentoring leaders, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and helping launch new technology verticals. Her teams have earned Partner of the Year awards from Accela, Samsara, and Kahua.

Passionate about emerging technologies, leadership development, and partner success, Lacey is a trusted advisor who helps technology vendors and government customers navigate the public sector marketplace while driving Carahsoft's continued growth.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Madison Benfield

Director of Marketing

Edge Solutions LLC

Madison Benfield is the Director of Marketing at Edge Solutions, where she has spent a decade shaping how the company reaches customers, drives demand, and equips its sales team to win. A strategic channel marketer, she brings deep expertise in demand generation, partner engagement, MDF optimization, account-based marketing, and event strategy — consistently translating emerging technologies into campaigns that deliver measurable results.

Madison is known for a sales-aligned, data-driven approach to channel marketing: rather than building events and finding an audience, she starts with the opportunity and engineers programs around it, strengthening partner relationships while growing co-marketing investment and pipeline. She has scaled high-impact partner initiatives, expanded the company’s marketing funding year over year, and is now leading her team in adopting AI to work faster without compromising brand integrity.

Rising from Marketing Coordinator to Director at Edge Solutions, Madison previously served as a Leadership Consultant for Zeta Tau Alpha, mentoring collegiate women in professional and leadership development. A two-time CRN Women of the Channel honoree, she holds dual degrees from the University of Georgia — a B.A. in Advertising from the Grady College of Journalism and a B.A. in Economics from the Terry College of Business.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Kimberly Boynton

Marketing Director

Epoch Concepts

Kimberly Boynton is the Marketing Director at Epoch Concepts, where she leads the company's corporate communications, brand strategy, events, and integrated marketing initiatives. With nearly two decades of experience spanning technology, communications, and event marketing, Kimberly plays a key role in elevating Epoch's brand and strengthening relationships with customers, partners, and the broader federal technology community.

She oversees strategic marketing programs that support Epoch's growth across the defense, intelligence, civilian, and enterprise markets, while driving awareness of the company's innovative solutions, industry partnerships, and community impact initiatives. Kimberly is also passionate about fostering meaningful connections and creating experiences that bring together customers, partners, and employees in support of Epoch's mission to serve those who serve.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Laurel Burton

Vice President, Marketing

Visual Edge IT

Laurel Burton is Vice President of Marketing for Visual Edge IT, a leading Total Technology Solutions Provider delivering managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud, communications, and print solutions to organizations across the United States.

An engineer by education and a marketer by passion, Laurel brings more than 20 years of experience building brands, launching products, and creating revenue-generating go-to-market strategies for technology organizations. Throughout her career, she has helped managed service providers, cloud providers, telecommunications companies, software organizations, and digital infrastructure businesses accelerate growth through strategic marketing and business development initiatives.

At Visual Edge IT, Laurel leads all aspects of marketing, including demand generation, brand strategy, public relations, product marketing, events, digital marketing, SEO/SEM, and business development. Over the past year, she has led a comprehensive transformation of the marketing organization, evolving it from a traditional event-focused team into a data-driven demand generation engine aligned to measurable business outcomes.

Prior to joining Visual Edge IT, Laurel served in executive marketing leadership roles for leading technology organizations including Jaymie Scotto & Associates, Otava, Faction, ViaWest, and Qwest Communications. She also successfully operated her own Fractional CMO agency, helping organizations across multiple industries strengthen their market positioning and accelerate growth.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Caroline Caldwell

VP, Marketing

Blend360

Caroline Caldwell is VP of Marketing at Blend, a $200M+ global AI, data science, and technology services company with 1,300+ employees across 15+ countries. Three years ago, she set out to build a marketing function that operated with and for the business. Today, she leads a global marketing organization spanning North America, Latin America (6+ countries), and EMEA (anchored by Blend's London office), overseeing brand, demand and growth marketing, employee marketing, partner marketing, content, communications, and marketing operations and analytics. Under her leadership, the marketing team has tripled in size over the past 12 months and now operates as an AI-native function: a 14-person team producing the output and quality of a 20+ person organization through Blend's proprietary Agentic Marketing Brain. Her career spans Merkle (Director, B2B Enterprise Marketing Strategy) and Oracle (Head of Marketing, Community, and Developer Relations), giving her the analytical discipline and technology intuition to see what AI-native marketing looks like before the channel has a template for it. She hosts "Evolve: A Blend Podcast," exploring the agentic AI shift with executives and practitioners across the channel.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Crystal Conkle

Chief Marketing Officer

The 20

Crystal Conkle is Chief Marketing Officer of The 20 MSP, one of the fastest-growing managed IT services organizations in the United States. She leads brand strategy, demand generation, executive thought leadership, public relations, events, content marketing, and communications for the company.

With more than 20 years of marketing and business leadership experience, Crystal is known for building high-performing teams, developing impactful growth strategies, and elevating brand visibility within highly competitive markets. Her expertise spans demand generation, corporate communications, event marketing, executive branding, public relations, content strategy, and go-to-market execution. She is particularly passionate about helping organizations leverage marketing as a strategic business function that drives growth, trust, and long-term value.

A recognized leader in the technology channel, Crystal has been named to CRN's Women of the Channel Power 80, recognized in Channel Insider's Channel Marketing Leaders 100, and honored with the GTIA Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award. She is also a frequent speaker, mentor, and advocate for advancing women in technology and developing the next generation of marketing leaders.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Amy Gregory

Head of Marketing

ANM

Amy Gregory is an accomplished marketing executive with over 25 years of experience in the service provider industry. She currently serves as the Head of Marketing at ANM, where she leads a high-performing team focused on driving brand awareness, accelerating pipeline, and aligning closely with sales to fuel company growth.

Prior to joining ANM, Amy spent 18 years at OneNeck IT Solutions, now US Signal, holding key leadership roles including Corporate Marketing Director and Director of Product Marketing. During her tenure, she helped shape the company’s brand, go-to-market strategy, and product positioning, contributing to its evolution into a national IT services provider.

Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative leadership style, Amy has built a career on translating complex technology into clear, compelling messaging that resonates with both customers and partners. She is passionate about building strong teams, adapting to change, and delivering measurable results.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Becky Linahon

VP, Marketing

Netrix Global

Becky Linahon is Vice President of Marketing at Netrix Global, where she leads global demand generation, partner marketing, brand strategy, content, events, and marketing operations for a fast-growing SI and MSP focused on cloud, security, data, AI, productivity, and managed services. A hands-on marketing executive, Becky is known for bridging strategy and execution, aligning marketing investments to measurable business outcomes, and strengthening collaboration across sales, alliances, delivery, and executive leadership. Over the past year, she has helped transform marketing into a growth engine for Netrix Global’s channel business, expanding co-marketing initiatives with Microsoft, AWS, and other strategic technology partners while building scalable programs that connect campaigns to pipeline creation and sales execution. Her leadership has unified regional and vertical go-to-market efforts across industries including legal, education, nonprofit, manufacturing, and enterprise services. Becky has also elevated Netrix Global’s brand through customer evidence, thought leadership, case studies, events, and executive storytelling. Her background includes expertise in advertising, public relations, brand identity, user experience, and creative strategy, supported by graduate study at DePaul University. Recognized for her impact and leadership, Becky brings operational discipline, creativity, and a strong commitment to building high-performing marketing teams.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Laura Muysenberg

VP, Marketing & Sales Operations

People Driven Technology

Over the past decade, Laura has played a key role in driving channel growth through marketing, sales operations, and vendor strategy. As VP of Marketing and Sales Operations at People Driven Technology (PDT), she leads the alliances team and works closely with sales and marketing to ensure vendors are enabled to deliver meaningful business results. As a founding member of PDT’s leadership team in 2021, Laura launched the company’s partner program, which includes 300+ vendors. The program focuses on a core set of strategic vendors whose platforms are critical to PDT’s professional services offerings and long-term success, strengthening the company’s position as a trusted advisor in the IT channel. Laura continues to evolve the partner program as PDT scales, developing geographically specific resources that enable local teams to be impactful and self-sufficient while maintaining strong relationships with key vendors. Her leadership has contributed to earning multiple awards annually from top manufacturers, securing more than $1.5 million in marketing development funds, and helping teams identify and leverage available rebate and incentive programs. Laura is also a founding board member of PDT’s Lady Driven initiative, which actively engages vendors in mentoring and leadership development to expand opportunities for women across the channel.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Jessica Strandquest

Director of Marketing

Bluum

Jessica has spent more than a decade helping technology organizations connect strategy, sales, and customer experience to drive growth. As Bluum's Marketing Director, she leads the company's marketing strategy, brand development, partner engagement, and demand generation efforts. She works closely with sales and leadership to align teams, strengthen customer relationships, and support Bluum's continued growth. Known for asking thoughtful questions and connecting the right people, Jessica creates programs that deepen customer relationships and support partner success.

In 2025, while attending the Women of the Year Awards Gala, Jessica received life-changing news - a cancer diagnosis. What followed was one of the most challenging periods of her life, but also one that revealed the resilience and determination that have long defined her leadership. Throughout treatment, she continued to lead her team and support the business while navigating appointments, recovery, and uncertainty.

Today, Jessica is cancer-free and continues to lead with the same curiosity, conviction, and people-first approach that have shaped her career and inspired those around her.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Kate Willse

Vice President of Communications & Solutions Marketing

SHI International

Kate Willse is a brand strategist and marketing leader with more than 12 years of experience spanning B2B technology, branding, communications, and field enablement. She brings deep expertise in helping organizations clarify their message, strengthen market presence, and drive revenue growth through thoughtful, execution-focused marketing strategies. Kate has supported the growth of both startups and large enterprise technology companies and is known for her bias for action and ability to drive meaningful change within complex, matrixed organizations. As Vice President of Communications & Solutions Marketing, she leads a dynamic and multi-disciplinary team focused on elevating and amplifying the SHI brand, transforming how the business translates its capabilities and takes them to market. Kate is a graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and holds professional certifications from Google and HubSpot.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Solution Provider

Mary Catherine Wilson

CMO

Future Tech

Mary Catherine “MC” Wilson is Chief Marketing Officer at Future Tech Enterprises, Inc., a global IT solutions provider serving enterprise and government customers, where she leads global marketing and drives the company’s go-to-market strategy and market positioning.

With more than 25 years of leadership experience across software development, operations, eCommerce, social media, and marketing, she has built and led high-performing teams at Future Tech, Dell Technologies, and Accenture. She is known for driving customer-centric growth and measurable business impact across complex enterprise and public sector environments.

A respected servant leader, Wilson builds and empowers high-performing teams and fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, and shared success. She is recognized for translating strategy into execution and for advancing partner-driven growth and ecosystem alignment across the IT channel.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Justine Adams

Head of GTM Strategy and Brand

Sherweb

Justine brings more than 25 years of global marketing leadership experience across the UK and North America, spanning financial services, retail, technology, and education. A pioneer in product marketing before it became a defined discipline, she has consistently been ahead of the curve in connecting market insight to business strategy.

Her career began in market research, building a strong foundation in customer-centric thinking that continues to shape her approach today. With a deep understanding of consumer behavior, market dynamics and competitive positioning, Justine excels at translating complex offerings into clear, compelling value, whether through differentiated messaging, targeted buyer personas or high-impact go-to-market strategies.

At Sherweb, Justine leads marketing efforts focused on sharpening and scaling the company’s market positioning. She has developed and implemented a comprehensive positioning framework that brings consistency and cohesion across the organization, from brand and partner messaging to product and practice-level narratives. This work has strengthened Sherweb’s ability to clearly articulate its unique value, including its partner-first approach, value-added services, rewards program, and platform.

A passionate advocate for partner success, Justine is committed to ensuring Sherweb’s marketing not only differentiates in a competitive market but also empowers MSP partners to grow and thrive.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Ana Lucia Amaral

Director of Field and Channel Marketing

Anecdotes

Ana Lucia Amaral is a global channel and field marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience driving revenue growth, building partner ecosystems, and transforming go-to-market strategies across the cybersecurity and enterprise technology industries.

Throughout her career, Ana has led channel, alliance, and field marketing initiatives across the full partner ecosystem, including national solution providers, VARs, MSPs, distributors, cloud providers, technology alliances, and global system integrators. She is recognized for creating scalable partner programs that align marketing investments with business outcomes.

Over the past 12 months, Ana has led transformational initiatives across two high-growth cybersecurity organizations. At Coro, she helped evolve the company into a partner-first organization by building its global channel marketing strategy, launching foundational programs including PRM, MDF, and SPIFF, and contributing to six industry channel awards.

In 2026, Ana joined Anecdotes as Director of Global Field and Channel Marketing, where she quickly established the company’s channel marketing foundation, launching its first Partner Program, Deal Registration process, and partner incentive framework while expanding global field engagement.

Known for combining strategic vision with operational execution, Ana builds high-performing partner ecosystems that accelerate growth, strengthen alliances, and position marketing as a strategic revenue driver.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Terra Bastolich

CMO

GetWireless LLC

Terra Bastolich is a strategic growth executive with more than twenty-five years of experience driving growth, brand transformation, and go-to-market strategy across the wireless communications and IoT industries. As CMO at GetWireless, she leads corporate marketing, business development, and strategic initiatives with all Tier 1 Wireless Operators, accelerating revenue growth while strengthening partner and customer engagement.

Terra is recognized as a trusted voice within the wireless and channel communities. She is a frequent industry speaker, podcast host, and thought leader, bringing together executives, partners, and innovators to discuss emerging technologies and the channel community. She has successfully launched new products, developed high-performing partner programs, and led organizations through acquisition in highly competitive technology markets.

Outside of her executive role, Terra is deeply committed to serving her community through nonprofit leadership. She believes that leadership extends beyond the workplace and is the founder of a non-profit organization that supports children in foster care. Through board leadership, she works to support thousands of children entering foster care every year.

Known for her collaborative leadership style, strategic vision, and passion for innovation, Terra believes the strongest businesses—and communities—are built through trusted relationships, authentic communication, and a commitment to helping others succeed.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Kate Canestrari

Vice President, Global Ecosystem Marketing

Red Hat

Kate Canestrari is Vice President of Global Ecosystem Marketing at Red Hat. She is responsible for leading global marketing efforts designed to deepen partner engagement and target both revenue growth and pipeline development through a strategic and consistent approach to demand generation programs. Prior to her current role, Kate was Vice President of Global Partner and Alliance Marketing at Cohesity, and held senior ecosystem marketing roles at VMware and Dell. Before entering the world of partner marketing, Kate spent over 15 years in product and solutions marketing during her time at Dell, Deloitte, IBM and HPE.

Kate brings more than 25 years of high tech marketing experience to her current role and is an active member with the Live4Evan Foundation. She currently resides in Hopkinton, MA.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Corey Cohen

Sr. Director Global Field and Channel Marketing

Exabeam

Corey Cohen is a global channel marketing leader with 20+ years of experience building award-winning, partner-driven programs that deliver measurable growth. As Senior Director of Global Channel & Field Marketing at Exabeam, she leads strategic initiatives focused on pipeline generation, partner enablement, and scalable go-to-market execution.

Corey previously built the marketing organization at TBI from the ground up, earning multiple Stevie Awards for Best Channel Program, while her team received recognition across creative and operational excellence. As VP of Marketing at MetTel, she unified brand, commercial, and channel marketing into a single growth engine.

She has led corporate marketing, loyalty and incentive programs, and international expansion efforts, and has advised private equity-backed startups on go-to-market strategy. Corey is a recognized industry leader, honored as a CRN Woman of the Channel, a Stevie Silver Winner for Woman Executive of the Year, and a Gold Winner for Marketing Department of the Year.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Brooke Cunningham

Chief Marketing Officer

LogicMonitor

As Chief Marketing Officer at LogicMonitor, Brooke Cunningham leads the company’s global marketing strategy, bringing 28 years of B2B software experience spanning the data, analytics, observability, and security markets. Throughout her career, she has championed partner-led growth, consistently redefining how marketing can drive measurable impact across the global channel ecosystem.

Brooke built a reputation as a partner-first marketing executive through leadership roles at SAP, Qlik, Splunk, Datto, and inriver. As CMO at Datto, she helped lead the company through its landmark $6.2 billion acquisition by Kaseya. At Splunk, she contributed to scaling revenue from $650 million to more than $2.5 billion.

At LogicMonitor, Brooke has transformed marketing into a high-ROI demand generation engine while positioning partners as a strategic growth lever central to the company's go-to-market strategy. Under her leadership, marketing drives tangible business outcomes while supporting a channel that transacts 87% of LogicMonitor's business, up from 82% the previous year.

Brooke's leadership has earned industry-wide recognition, including consecutive Global B2B CMO 100 honors (2025, 2026), multiple appearances on CRN's Power 100 Women of the Channel list, recognition as one of CRN's 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, and the Channel Marketing Association's 2026 Icon Award.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Lauren Duda

Vice President, Global Partner Marketing

Extreme Networks

Lauren Duda is Vice President of Global Partner Marketing at Extreme Networks, a leader in AI-powered automation for networking. With 25 years in the channel ecosystem, she brings strategic expertise in building scalable, data-driven partner marketing frameworks that enable partner profitability and mutual success.

At Extreme, Lauren leads a team of 13 across Strategic Partner Marketing, Partner Engagement and Success, and Partner Marketing Operations. Her focus is delivering marketing infrastructure, insights, and programs that enable Channel Sales to activate partners effectively and drive partner-led growth. Over the past 12 months, she has built a strong partnership with Joe Spencer (SVP Channel Sales) that serves as the foundation for strategic partner alignment and the Extreme Partner First initiative.

Previously, she led partner marketing at Aiven, HashiCorp, Adaptive Insights, and Couchbase, where she scaled ecosystem programs and comarketing across global routes to market. A collaborative, data-literate leader, Lauren actively mentors emerging channel marketers and champions inclusive, high-trust teams.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Ashley Huntley

Vice President, Marketing Transformation & Optimization

TD SYNNEX

Ashley Huntley is the VP of Marketing Transformation & Optimization at TD SYNNEX, with a distinguished 33-year career in distribution and channel development. Throughout her career, Ashley has consistently driven growth and optimized marketing strategies, particularly in digital Partner Enablement and Demand Generation. She collaborates closely with top industry professionals to deliver exceptional results, as demonstrated by her recognition as a two-time TD SYNNEX President’s Club and Founder’s Award winner—the company’s top honor. Ashley has also been recognized by CRN Women of the Channel and as a Channel Chief. Beyond her business accomplishments, Ashley is passionate about giving back to her community and helping others grow. She is committed to mentoring emerging professionals, supporting women in leadership, and sharing her experience to help others build confidence, develop their careers, and create meaningful impact. Her dedication to service reflects her belief that leadership extends beyond business results to include empowering others and strengthening the communities around her.

With deep expertise in demand generation and marketing operations, Ashley has been instrumental in achieving significant business milestones. Passionate about innovation, operational excellence, and servant leadership, she continues to lead transformative initiatives that enhance customer engagement, drive revenue growth, and inspire the next generation.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Jenn Jakubowicz

Head of Global Channel Marketing

Logitech

Jenn Jakubowicz 'JJ' is an accomplished marketing leader celebrated for her ability to transform strategy into action, build high-performing teams, and drive measurable business outcomes. As Head of Global Channel Marketing at Logitech, JJ focuses on scaling the organization to meet growth demands while enhancing go-to-market value for partners and their customers alike.

Known for her results-oriented approach, JJ specializes in accelerating pipeline generation, unlocking new revenue streams, and strengthening stakeholder relationships across global ecosystems—including distribution, MSP, NSP, resellers, system integrators, and strategic alliances. She continually challenges traditional boundaries, asking "How can we improve experiences and deliver greater outcomes for all stakeholders?"

With over 20 years of channel experience, her achievements include 2026 & 2025 CRN Channel Chief, 2026 & 2024 CRN Women of the Channel, 2026 Channel Insider's 100 Top Channel Marketing Leaders, 2024 Top Marketing Executive in Philadelphia area, 2020 Logitech's AMR VC Marketing Award, 2018 Jabra's Best Sales and Marketing Collaboration Award, and 2015 OKI Data's Above & Beyond Award.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Natascha Lee

Global Head of Partner & Alliance Marketing

Cloudera

Natascha Lee has distinguished herself as a strategic and results-driven Partner Marketing Leader. With more than 20 years of Channel Marketing experience across leading B2B technology companies, she delivers a unique combination of expertise, authenticity, and focus on results.

Natascha advanced Cloudera’s global partner marketing efforts with her relentless focus on impact, scale, and ecosystem growth. Natascha focuses on igniting partners and customers through innovative messaging, segmentation, targeting, influence, and measurement, combining the art and science of marketing to generate demand, increase market share, and exceed aggressive revenue goals.

Leading Cloudera’s Global Partner Marketing team, Natascha drives marketing strategy spanning a broad ecosystem Over the past year, she supported expansion of Cloudera’s ecosystem through marketing integrations with new partners like Snowflake and Service Now, alongside existing key partners such as AWS, Dell, Microsoft Azure, Google, IBM, AMD, Accenture and NVIDIA. She focuses on leveraging marketing to drive pipeline, deepen partner engagement, and increase the impact partners have on their bottom lines...as well as Cloudera's bottom line.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Shawnae McKown

Director, National Channel Marketing

Fortinet

After earning her degree in Health Science with a concentration in Gerontology from San Jose State University, Shawnae began her career as an Activities Director at a retirement community. Seeking new opportunities for growth, she transitioned into the technology industry and quickly advanced through a series of channel marketing roles.

Over the course of her career, Shawnae has developed and executed marketing strategies across multiple channel routes-to-market, including Distribution, DLB, Emerging Partners, SMB Channel & Field integration, DMR, and National Partners. Her broad channel experience has given her a deep understanding of partner ecosystems, with particular expertise in DMR and National Partner motions.

Today, Shawnae serves as Director of Channel Marketing at Fortinet, where she leads marketing strategy for National and National DMR routes-to-market. She is passionate about building and empowering high-performing teams, fostering strong partner relationships, and delivering innovative marketing programs that accelerate pipeline growth, increase partner engagement, and drive measurable business results.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Meaghan Moore

Group Vice President, Global Partner Marketing

ServiceNow

Meaghan Moore leads Global Partner Marketing at ServiceNow with a singular focus: making the partner ecosystem a measurable growth engine. Under her leadership, partner-sourced revenue has grown from 7% to 19% of total business, tracking toward $1 billion, with partners her team covers closing at nearly twice the rate of those they don’t. In FY25, those partners delivered 30% year-over-year pipeline growth.

Meaghan's team built the infrastructure behind that performance: the Partner Marketing Experience platform, which activated 1,000+ accounts in year one, Campaign Creator with 60%+ partner adoption, the AI Agent Marketplace, and the ISV Marketplace serving as the connective layer between ServiceNow's go-to-market engine and its broader ecosystem.

Before ServiceNow, Meaghan spent 11 years at SAP leading Global Partner Marketing for 22,000 partners representing $6B in annual revenue, and four years at HP running channel strategy across $11B in Americas revenues.

A graduate of the University of Puget Sound and Konan University in Kobe, Japan, she has been named a CRN Top 100 Woman in the Channel for 14 consecutive years and holds a place in the CRN Power 100. She believes the best marketing organizations are ones where people grow as fast as the business does.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Jane Tran

VP of Growth Marketing

Nexora

Originally from Vietnam and now based in London, Jane Tran is a commercially driven marketing leader known for transforming marketing into a measurable growth engine within the channel.

As VP of Growth Marketing at Nexora, Jane sits at the intersection of customer behavior, data, and digital innovation. Her expertise lies in translating deep audience insight into scalable, high-impact strategies that drive pipeline, strengthen vendor engagement, and accelerate business growth.

Jane has led a full-scale transformation of marketing capability, embedding advanced marketing technology, AI-driven insights, and intent-based demand generation to deliver measurable commercial outcomes. Her work has redefined the role of marketing within the organization, from a reactive support function to a strategic driver of revenue and competitive advantage.

Passionate about the power of technology to amplify human potential, Jane combines analytical rigor with a people-first leadership style. Outside of work, she is a proud parent and believes firmly that the most meaningful success, both professionally and personally, is built on understanding what truly matters.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Colleen Tyler

GM Partner Mktg Mgmt GTM

Microsoft

Colleen Tyler is the General Manager for Global Partner Marketing & GTM at Microsoft, leading a worldwide organization focused on AI-powered partner marketing, scalable GTM innovation, and data-driven growth. She oversees global campaigns, partner communications, and GTM strategy to accelerate ecosystem impact and drive Global Partner Solutions revenue.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Stephanie Weagle

Chief Marketing Officer

Liongard

Waeagle is a CMO who has spent 15+ years at the intersection of cybersecurity, technology, and the channel. At Liongard she leads the go-to-market strategy bringing the system of authority for asset intelligence to the MSP market - connecting the right organizations to a platform that changes how they operate, scale, and compete. Her work is grounded in the channel: building programs, positioning, and narratives that move partners and practitioners alike.

Marketing Executive of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Deb Wolf

Chief Marketing Officer

Dataminr

Deb Wolf is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Dataminr responsible for elevating the company’s brand, driving customer engagement, and supporting growth goals.

Prior to Dataminr, Deb served as CMO at Lookout, where she pivoted the company from B2C to B2B, expanded its product portfolio from mobile to cloud security, and scaled its go-to-market efforts. She has 35-plus years of experience growing private and public companies, and has held marketing leadership roles at organizations such as Workday, Integrate, and BetterUp.

Deb has a BA in English from California Polytechnic State University, and advises CEOs at three early-stage venture-backed companies in the AI, leadership development and data industries.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Melissa Bourdon

Director, Digital Experiences

Nexora

Melissa Bourdon leads Nexora’s Digital Center of Excellence across North America, where she drives digital strategy, innovation, and transformation to elevate customer and partner experiences at scale. With expertise across e-commerce, digital marketing, customer experience, and business systems, she has helped modernize digital ecosystems and accelerate growth. Her leadership contributed to a transformation where more than 70% of sales occur through digital channels, while the direct-to-consumer business grew 80% year over year.

Melissa has spearheaded B2B portals, e-commerce platforms, marketplace integrations, and data-driven marketing programs that deepen engagement and deliver measurable results. She is known for aligning technology with business goals and for building high-performing, accountable teams. Her focus on talent development has fostered strong engagement and one of the lowest turnover rates in the organization.

Outside of work, Melissa brings the same drive to personal pursuits. A former NCAA Division I hockey player at the University of New Hampshire, she was a four-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and ranks among NCAA leaders in wins and shutouts. She is also a seven-time Boston Marathon qualifier. Today, she is most inspired by raising her son, Jack.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Mishel Fletcher

Director, Cloud and Alliance Marketing

Fortinet

Mishel leads the field and alliance marketing engine behind Fortinet's cloud service provider partnerships with AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Across all three, she moved the relationships past logo placement into shared pipeline accountability. She builds the joint value proposition into every motion: co-sell plays, MDF funded events, Capture the Flag and Game Day activations and CXO roundtables. Her team owns Fortinet's presence inside the AWS, Azure and Google Cloud booths at Accelerate, converting partner real estate into sourced and influenced pipeline. The outcome is a multi-vendor alliance engine producing measurable demand, not goodwill. Over the past 12 months her team's programs delivered $227M in partner sourced pipeline, 37% percent growth in joint opportunities and 17 co-marketed events

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Dolores Garreton

Sr. Manager, Partner Marketing and Global Aliance Lead

Netrix Global

Dolores Garreton is Senior Manager, Partner Marketing and Global Alliance Lead at Netrix Global, an award-winning MSP and consulting services organization. She leads Netrix’s global alliance marketing function, aligning Microsoft and AWS priorities with joint go-to-market strategy, co-marketing investment, partner program requirements, and measurable business outcomes across the U.S. and LATAM.

With 8+ years of experience in global go-to-market strategy, integrated demand generation, market research, and sales enablement for technology and SaaS organizations, Dolores has advanced from Brand Lead to Manager of Partner Marketing and now serves as a strategic connector between Netrix’s brand, sales, technology, and alliance teams. Over the past year, she has helped strengthen Netrix’s Microsoft and AWS ecosystems through partner messaging, content programs, ABM strategy, co-sell support, marketplace positioning, and cross-functional campaign execution.

She was selected to CRN’s 2026 Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders list, recognizing emerging leaders shaping the future of the IT channel. Dolores holds an Executive MBA from IAE Business School in Buenos Aires, an MA in Communication from Lancaster University, and a BA in English from UNT. She has worked across U.S. and LATAM markets in go-to-market, enablement, market research, and corporate communications, and is based in Philadelphia, PA.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Kelsey Gipe

Director, Channel Alliances

People Driven Technology

Kelsey Gipe is Director, Channel Alliances at People Driven Technology (PDT), where she leads alliance strategy and helps translate partner relationships into coordinated, high-impact go-to-market execution. Since joining PDT in 2023, she has become a key connector across sales, marketing, finance, and OEM partners, bringing structure and follow-through to increasingly complex, multi-vendor initiatives. Over the past 12 months, Kelsey has played a central role in maturing how PDT activates channel partnerships, aligning MDF, training investments, co-funded programs, and partner-backed events to the sales motions and customer outcomes that matter most. She personally leads partner alignment from planning through execution and post-event validation, while also strengthening how funding is tracked, documented, and reconciled across the business. Known for her operational rigor and partner-first mindset, Kelsey has helped make PDT a more scalable, disciplined, and trusted partner for OEMs investing across multiple initiatives and markets.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Rosie Huth

Global Alliance Manager

New Relic

Rosie Huth is a Global Alliance Manager at New Relic, where she leads strategic alliances that accelerate customer success through co-sell innovation, ecosystem development, and partner-led go-to-market execution. With more than 20 years of experience spanning global alliances, channel strategy, hyperscalers, GSIs, and enterprise software, she has built a reputation for transforming partnership strategy into measurable business outcomes.

Rosie specializes in building and scaling high-impact partner ecosystems, bringing together technology partners, sales organizations, and technical teams to create repeatable motions that drive customer value. Her work has focused on advancing strategic initiatives across ServiceNow, SAP, Microsoft, and AWS, while enabling field organizations to collaborate more effectively.

An early adopter of AI, Rosie leverages technology to enhance decision-making and identify opportunities, while remaining committed to the belief that trust, authentic relationships, and human connection are the foundation of every successful partnership. As a Latina leader in technology, she is passionate about fostering collaboration, mentoring others, and helping shape the future of the partner ecosystem.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Kelly Nuckolls

Chief Marketing Officer

Jeskell Systems

Kelly Nuckolls is the Chief Marketing Officer at Jeskell Systems and a channel leader with more than 22 years of experience spanning solution providers, distributors, and strategic technology alliances. Her career includes leadership roles supporting IBM and Arrow across North America, where she developed a deep understanding of the channel ecosystem and the power of multi-vendor collaboration.

At Jeskell, Kelly plays a central role in aligning distributor, vendor, and integrator relationships to create unified solutions that support Federal and commercial clients navigating rapid technology transformation. She is known for her relationship-first leadership style, strategic alliance development, and ability to bridge marketing, technical sales, and partner engagement.

Kelly has earned hundreds of technical and sales certifications across leading technology vendors, investing heavily in technical education to better understand the solutions she represents and strengthen collaboration across partner ecosystems. Her work focuses heavily on AI infrastructure readiness, data resilience, storage modernization, and helping clients navigate increasingly complex IT environments through trusted partnerships and shared success across the channel.

Outside of work, Kelly is a proud mom of two very active boys, volunteers in youth academic, athletic and STEM programs, and enjoys "trying to" balancing family life alongside a fast-paced career.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Brittany Phillips

Director of Strategic Partner Marketing

SHI International

Brittany Phillips is the Director of Strategic Partner Marketing at SHI International, where she leads alliance marketing strategy and execution for SHI’s most strategic technology partnerships. With 15 years of experience in channel and partner marketing, she has built high-performing partner ecosystems that accelerate business growth, strengthen executive relationships, and deliver measurable results.

In her role, Brittany leads strategic partner marketing aligned to business objectives, driving pipeline growth through collaboration with sales, partners, and internal teams. She focuses on maximizing marketing development funds (MDF) through a disciplined, results-driven approach that ensures investments are fully utilized and tied to measurable outcomes. She believes growth comes from empowering others to succeed and challenges her team to be 1% better every day, fostering a collaborative, high-performing environment.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Brittany is passionate about giving back to her community. Family is central to her life, and she enjoys spending time with her five nieces and nephews. An avid traveler, she values continuous learning through new experiences and meaningful connections. Brittany holds an MBA in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing from Nova Southeastern University, combining academic expertise with extensive real-world experience leading strategic partnerships and high-performing marketing organizations.

Alliance Marketing Executive of the Year

Taylor Wiggins

Director, Strategic Programs & Partner Marketing

Axonius

Taylor Wiggins is a strategic marketing leader with nearly a decade of experience driving growth and innovation in the cybersecurity and SaaS industries. As Director of Strategic Programs & Partner Marketing at Axonius, she leads global partner marketing and alliance strategy, building programs that drive pipeline, strengthen technology partnerships, and amplify brand presence. Her career spans senior roles in product and partner marketing at BeyondTrust and SailPoint, where she developed deep expertise in alliance marketing, go-to-market strategy, and ecosystem development. Taylor has been recognized as a 2024 and 2025 CMA Rising Star, 2026 CMA Visionary of the Year, and CRN Women of the Channel for four consecutive years (2023-2026).

Role Model of the Year

Rita Barry

Director, Hyperscaler Alliances, Americas

Ensono

Rita Barry is a Director of Public Cloud Alliances at Ensono, where she leads strategic partnerships across hyperscalers including Microsoft and AWS. With deep expertise in channel strategy and ecosystem development, she drives joint go-to-market initiatives that accelerate cloud adoption and modernization for enterprise clients.

She also leads Ensono’s North America programming for Ensono Women Connected, the company’s women’s initiative within the broader WomenTech Network. Her role spans both cloud and marketing teams, with a focus on enabling partners to deliver meaningful value to customers.

Outside of Ensono, Rita serves as Co-President of She:Can, a partner alliances advisory board for AWS alliances members, where she helps shape community, mentorship, and leadership development across the partner ecosystem.

Role Model of the Year

Maggie Bauer

Senior Director, Global Partner Programs & Operations

Arctic Wolf

Maggie Bauer is the Senior Director of Global Partner Operations and Programs at Arctic Wolf, where she leads a worldwide team dedicated to delivering an exceptional partner experience. With over 14 years in technology and cybersecurity, Maggie has built a career focused on empowering partners and driving channel success. She plays a pivotal role in shaping Arctic Wolf’s channel strategy—scaling programs, streamlining operations, and launching initiatives that accelerate growth.

Her leadership has fueled the global expansion of the Partner Program, the implementation of a next-generation partner portal, and the creation of strategic incentives that strengthen partner engagement. Passionate about advancing women in technology, Maggie co-leads Arctic Wolf’s Women Transforming Technology Alliance and was recognized as a CRN Women of the Year and Channel Innovator of the Year finalist.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with degrees in Chinese and International Studies, Maggie is known for her collaborative approach, strategic vision, and relentless commitment to partner success. At the heart of her drive is her family—her husband and two young sons—who inspire her to lead with purpose and impact.

Role Model of the Year

Kim Carlton

Director, U.S. Distribution and Partner Success

Intel Corporation

Kim Carlton is Director of the U.S. Distribution and Partner Success at Intel Corporation, where she leads the company’s distribution channel strategy and drives partner investment and go-to-market execution across the United States.

Since joining Intel in 2000, Kim has held a variety of leadership roles within the Sales and Marketing Group, spanning vertical marketing, channel sales, partner development, and ecosystem engagement with some of Intel’s most strategic partners. She has also led external sales teams and spearheaded initiatives that strengthen partner performance and collaboration.

Prior to Intel, Kim held leadership roles at GTE, AT&T Wireless—where she supported the launch of wireless services in the Chicagoland market—and Target Corporation, managing multi-store operations across the Midwest.

Kim holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Stout and an MBA from the University of Illinois. A committed advocate for women in technology, she previously served on the board of Intel’s Women at Intel Network and currently sits on the Women of the Channel Advisory Board. She also founded Intel’s Partner Innovation Community and is a member of The Channel Company’s Channel Leadership Forum.

Based in Chicago, Kim enjoys mentoring, community involvement, and time with her husband and three children.

Role Model of the Year

Karen Castaño

Vice President of Sales, Hospitality

Nexora

Karen Castaño is Vice President of Sales, Hospitality at Almo Pro AV, where she leads the company’s national hospitality sales business with responsibility for revenue growth, customer and vendor relationships, strategic direction, and team leadership. Promoted to the role in November 2025, she became the first female Vice President of Sales in Almo Pro AV’s history.

Previously, Karen served as Director of Sales for the National Business Team, where she led new business development and managed a team that served as a key talent pipeline for the organization. She is known for her direct, people-first leadership style and her commitment to developing future leaders.

Over the past year, Karen has successfully guided her team through a challenging hospitality market while maintaining stability, strengthening role clarity, and mentoring emerging talent through both formal and informal coaching. She also serves as co-chair of Almo’s Parents and Caregivers Employee Resource Group and is a certified Peer Coach.

Karen was recognized as a CRN Women of the Channel honoree in both 2025 and 2026 and is a frequent speaker and moderator at industry events, including InfoComm, NSCA’s XBO Conference, the NEXXT Leadership Workshop, and Almo’s E4 Experience.

Role Model of the Year

Crystal Ferreira

Global Channel Chief

Logitech

Crystal Ferreira is a distinguished leader in the global IT channel, bringing nearly three decades of experience building high-impact partnerships with the world’s leading technology vendors. As Global Channel Chief at Logitech, she plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing Logitech’s global channel sales strategy—bridging innovation, execution, and partner success.

Crystal is renowned for her partner-first philosophy, driving go-to-market strategies that create meaningful value and measurable business outcomes. She has built trusted relationships across Distributors, Systems Integrators (SIs), Value-Added Resellers (VARs), and ecosystem Alliances, fostering mutual growth and shared success.

Throughout her career—spanning leadership roles in data networking, unified communications, and optical transport—Crystal has guided organizations through major digital and communications transformations with a blend of strategic rigor and human connection.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from PennWest Clarion in Pennsylvania. Outside of Logitech, Crystal contributes to her family’s B2B SaaS and web development business, WebCorp, and embraces her entrepreneurial spirit through projects with her children. Based in Danville, California, she is a passionate mentor for emerging professionals, an active volunteer in education, and a dedicated supporter of her local community. When not leading in the channel, Crystal finds joy walking and hanging out with her family.

Role Model of the Year

Christine Gassman

Global Director of Partner Success

OpenText Cybersecurity

Christine Gassman is the Global Director of Partner Success at OpenText, where she focuses on fostering strong, inclusive partner communities and elevating partner voices across the global ecosystem. Recently joining OpenText, she brings a relationship-first leadership style built on more than two decades of experience driving trust, advocacy, and engagement within the IT channel.

Previously, as VP of Community at Mailprotector, Christine played a key role in building thriving MSP and security partner communities, creating opportunities for collaboration and shared growth. Across her career—including leadership roles at Datto, Cofense, and Blackpoint Cyber—she has been recognized for her ability to unite people, strengthen long-term relationships, and enhance partner experiences through authentic, community-driven strategies.

Christine is widely respected as a connector and advocate within the channel and has been recognized as both a CRN Women of the Channel and CRN Channel Chief. Her leadership is grounded in empathy, credibility, and a commitment to ensuring individuals feel heard, valued, and empowered.

Beyond her professional work, Christine is a licensed foster parent and serves on the Board of Directors for the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina. She lives in Eastern North Carolina with her four nephews and niece and her rescue dogs.

Role Model of the Year

Caroline Granja

Director of Strategic Device Partners

SHI International

Caroline Granja is the Director of Strategic Device Partners at SHI International, where she leads strategy and growth across key OEM relationships, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft Surface. Over her 18-year career at SHI, she has grown alongside the organization, starting in Inside Sales in 2008 before transitioning to the support side of the business in 2012, where she built her expertise in End User Computing and advanced into leadership.

Through her insight-driven approach and operational discipline, Caroline sets a strong example for her teams by bringing clarity to complex initiatives and translating them into actionable strategies that drive results. That same mindset carries into how she leads, creating an environment where people feel supported, trusted, and confident in their ability to take on more. Across the organization, she is known for her ability to identify and grow talent, evidenced by the many individuals she has developed who have gone on to leadership roles across SHI.

Outside of work, Caroline is a dedicated mother of two, an avid reader, and enjoys spending time at the beach.

Role Model of the Year

Sheri Stuckey

Channel Marketing Director

Fortinet

Sheri Stuckey is a transformative channel marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience driving growth across the IT partner ecosystem. Throughout her career, she has led strategic messaging, partner go-to-market execution, and demand generation for global alliances, consistently aligning marketing with sales to deliver measurable pipeline and revenue impact.

As Channel Marketing Director at Fortinet, Sheri built and scaled the Global System Integrator (GSI) marketing strategy from the ground up. Her leadership redefined GSI marketing by tightly aligning with sales, cross-functional stakeholders, and ecosystem partners to deliver shared business objectives and translating it into measurable outcomes with long-term value.

Previously, Sheri held channel leadership roles at HPE, Cisco, and NetScreen. A passionate advocate for the channel, she also mentors aspiring female leaders and volunteers in her local community.

Role Model of the Year

Sara Verri

Chief Marketing Officer

Sekoia

Sara Verri is Chief Marketing Officer at Sekoia. With over 15 years of experience in the IT and cybersecurity industry, Sara has built a reputation for blending strategic vision with hands-on execution across global field and partner marketing. marketing.
Having grown up in an environment that did not encourage bold ambitions, Sara turned that adversity into a driving force. She climbed through the ranks at companies including Palo Alto Networks and Nozomi Networks before joining Sekoia, where she leads a high-performing international team. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in empathy, authenticity, and the belief that true strength does not have to be loud. Sara is a prolific mentor and advocate for women in tech, regularly providing guidance to young professionals both within and outside her organization. She was recognized as a 2025 CRN Hidden Gem Finalist and a 2024 CRN Executive Mentor Finalist, and received the Leadership in Action CRO Award in 2026.

Role Model of the Year

Regina Vignone

Vice President, Mid-Market Sales

Sophos

Regina Vignone is a cybersecurity sales leader with 25 years in the IT channel, combining visionary leadership with a proven track record of results. As VP of Mid-Market Sales at Sophos, she has redefined what modern sales leadership looks like building teams that don't just hit numbers, but become trusted advisors to the partners and customers they serve. Regina's strategic command of both direct and channel sales has driven sustained revenue growth and market expansion for Sophos. Her ability to identify, develop, and elevate top talent has produced a sales force recognized across the industry for their expertise, integrity, and impact. What sets Regina apart is how she leads. She builds deep cross-functional relationships at every level, aligning marketing, support, inside sales, and operations around a shared mission. That same collaborative approach extends to customers and channel partners, where she has spent decades building relationships rooted in mutual trust and long-term success. Under her leadership, her team has consistently surpassed revenue targets while strengthening Sophos's market position. Her philosophy, grounded in continuous improvement, accountability, and genuine investment in people has shaped not just a high-performing team, but a culture worth being part of. Regina's impact goes beyond numbers.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Christy Anderson

VP, Procurement & Customer Care

TD SYNNEX

Accomplished executive with extensive experience across sales and operations, recognized for leading large, high-performing teams and driving results in fast-paced, evolving business environments. Brings a strong track record of building trusted customer and vendor partnerships through exceptional interpersonal, collaborative, and relationship-management skills. Demonstrates a consistent focus on customer service, operational excellence, productivity improvement, and quality execution. Known for managerial courage, adaptability, and the ability to translate strategy into measurable business outcomes through disciplined management systems and performance metrics. A servant leader who fosters genuine relationships by promoting trust, empowerment, and accountability, while developing others to reach their full potential.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Lisa Cowley

Associate VP of Public Sector Sales Optimization

SHI International

Lisa Cowley is known for integrating mentorship into how she leads—developing the team recognized by SHI leadership as the “gold standard” for delivering strategic, repeatable programs—while driving measurable impact through initiatives that have generated nearly $2B in pipeline and strengthened the performance of more than 300 employees. Lisa is the Associate VP of Public Sector Sales Optimization at SHI International, where she has spent 17 years building programs that drive both business performance and people development.

Lisa’s leadership style is rooted in clarity, accountability, and a people-first mindset. Recognizing that mentorship was happening but lacked structure and consistency, Lisa is currently leading the development of a formal mentorship program at SHI, focused on creating a more intentional, scalable, and sustainable approach to employee growth across her organization. She also makes time to share her perspective authentically in everyday interactions, panels, and leadership discussions.

As a new mother, she is passionate about mentoring employees through major life transitions and helping them find a sustainable balance between career, family, and personal well-being. With that focus on community, she founded the SHI Garden, now in its fifth year, which has donated over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Maryam Mohammadi

VP, Customer Experience

ITMC

Maryam Mohammadi is the Vice President of Customer Experience at IT Management Corporation (ITM.CX), where she has spent the past decade helping strengthen customer relationships, support business growth, and build meaningful partnerships across the technology channel.

Before entering the technology industry, Mohammadi spent 13 years as an educator, including teaching at an all-girls school. Those experiences shaped her passion for mentorship and taught her the importance of confidence, encouragement, and education in helping women reach their full potential. They also influenced the leadership philosophy she carries today.

As an immigrant who moved to the United States 13 years ago in pursuit of new opportunities, Mohammadi understands the value of resilience, hard work, and having people who believe in you. Throughout her career, she has been committed to helping others grow, particularly women pursuing leadership opportunities in the technology channel.

Mohammadi has been recognized as a CRN Woman of the Channel every year since 2020 and was a finalist for CRN's 2025 Solution Provider Woman of the Year.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Christina Nairn

Senior Director, Americas Marketing

Sophos

Christina Nairn leads marketing for the Americas at Sophos, overseeing demand generation and channel teams across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. With more than 20 years in the technology industry, primarily in cybersecurity, she focuses on building programs that drive measurable business impact, developing high-performing teams, and helping partners grow.

Her experience spans scaling partner-led marketing models, integrating global teams, and introducing AI to improve how we work and deliver results She is focused on making marketing both more effective and more human by aligning strategy, execution, and collaboration across regions and teams.

Nairn is passionate about creating environments where people grow, take ownership of their development, and build confidence in their ability to lead.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Kristen Rank

Partner Director

Sentra

Kristen Rank is a cybersecurity and channel leader known for building meaningful relationships, creating visibility for others and advocating for women across the security community. Her leadership style is grounded in consistency, generosity and action. She is often the person making introductions, inviting women into important conversations and helping others recognize opportunities before they may fully see those opportunities for themselves.

Over the past year, Kristen has supported women inside Sentra and across her broader partner, customer and industry network by helping them expand their visibility, strengthen their confidence and build professional connections. She has encouraged women to participate in strategic meetings, engage more visibly with prospects and partners, pursue speaking opportunities and grow their professional reach.

Kristen has also been an active supporter of the Women in Security documentary and related premiere activity. She helped drive sponsorship outreach and support around the documentary’s RSA event and U.S. premieres in Bellevue, Washington and Dallas, Texas. The project was created to spotlight women’s stories in cybersecurity and inspire more women to see themselves in the industry. Kristen’s support reflects her belief that representation matters and that mentorship can happen both one-on-one and at community scale.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Wendy Ripley

Vice President (VP) of Sales (Fed, SLED & Enterprise)

Epoch Concepts

As VP of Sales for FEDCIV, SLED & Enterprise at Epoch Concepts, Wendy leads teams focused on delivering mission-critical IT solutions to government and enterprise customers. Previously, as Director of Strategic Alliances, she expanded and strengthened partnerships across Epoch’s extensive ecosystem of technology partners. Before joining Epoch, Wendy spent seven years at Dell Technologies Federal, where she led sales teams supporting major federal systems integrators and consistently exceeded performance goals.

Wendy’s sales career began in college when she launched a helium balloon delivery business from her dorm room. She later distinguished herself as a top regional performer selling Cutco knives. Wendy went on to earn a Ph.D. in American Studies and served as a Professor of English at George Washington University, publishing and speaking on nineteenth-century women writers.

Her career has also included time as a pastry chef at the White House under two administrations, co-authoring a cookbook with chef Michel Richard, and consulting for Dog Tag Bakery, which supports entrepreneurship programs for service-disabled veterans.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Kerry Shaw

Chief Human Resources Officer

Bluum

Kerry is a strategic Human Resources leader with more than 20 years of experience aligning people strategies with business objectives to drive organizational success. Throughout her career, she has built a reputation for creating innovative workforce solutions that strengthen employee engagement, talent development, retention, and organizational culture.

Known for her forward-thinking approach, Kerry has successfully led transformational initiatives that help organizations navigate change, build high-performing teams, and prepare for future growth. Her ability to balance business priorities with a people-first mindset has made her a trusted advisor and leader.

Kerry's leadership style is rooted in trust, empowerment, and continuous learning. She is passionate about developing talent, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and creating environments where employees feel valued, supported, and connected to the organization's mission.

She believes that strong people strategies are essential to long-term business success and is committed to helping organizations thrive by cultivating collaboration, developing future leaders, and building cultures where both employees and businesses can achieve their full potential.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Vanessa Simmons

Senior Vice President, Business Development

Pythian Services Inc.

Vanessa Simmons is SVP, Business Development at Pythian. Vanessa leads a robust cloud partnership ecosystem, managing strategic alliances with Google Cloud, Microsoft, Amazon, SAP, Oracle, and key ISVs like Snowflake among others. A pivotal figure in Pythian’s history, she established the partner team over 13 years ago and was instrumental in securing Pythian’s status as an elite Google Cloud MSP and Partner of the Year for Databases. Most recently, Vanessa has pivoted Pythian’s channel strategy to the forefront of the AI revolution, establishing the company as a premier partner for Google Cloud’s Gemini ecosystem and driving brand evolution as a leader in enterprise AI adoption.

Executive Mentor of the Year

Robin Wolf

Vice President, Enterprise Partner Marketing

NVIDIA

Robin Holden-Wolf is Vice President of Enterprise Partner Marketing at NVIDIA, leading go-to-market strategy and execution across global OEMs, NALA Channel, storage partners, and ISVs. With 20+ years building co-branded alliance programs with companies like Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Intel, her team drives partner profitability through high-ROI campaigns and lead generation programs.

Robin holds a Bachelor's from UT Austin and an MBA from St. Edward's University. She has been recognized by CRN as a four-time Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the Channel, Marketing Executive of the Year Finalist, and Executive Mentor of the Year Finalist, and is a North American Archer Award winner for Strategic Alliance Program Excellence.

Outside work, she enjoys traveling, live music, boating on Lake Travis, and snow skiing.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Meghan Brown

VP, Operations

Bluum

Meghan Brown is Vice President of Operations at Bluum, where she leads Sales Administration, Procurement, and Partner/Vendor Management. With more than 17 years of experience in operations and technology, Meghan has built a reputation for driving business transformation through strategic procurement, sales operations, and systems optimization.

Prior to joining Bluum, Meghan held multiple operations leadership roles at ConvergeOne, where she successfully led integration efforts across numerous acquisitions, helping align people, processes, and systems to support growth and operational excellence. Her experience spans procurement, vendor management, business operations, and organizational transformation, giving her a unique perspective on scaling businesses while maintaining a strong customer and employee focus.

Known for her data-driven approach to decision-making, Meghan excels at optimizing processes, strengthening vendor partnerships, and leading large cross-functional teams. She is passionate about building high-performing organizations that deliver measurable results through collaboration, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

As a leader, Meghan is committed to developing strong teams, driving operational excellence, and creating scalable processes that enable long-term growth and success.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Srishti Ellson

Director, GTM Strategy & Operations

Insight Enterprises

Srishti Ellson is Director of GTM Strategy & Operations at Insight, where she leads sales strategy, revenue operations, and AI enablement for a 400-person field organization driving more than $1B in revenue inside a $5B+ business. A revenue-operations leader with an engineering foundation, she builds AI-powered GTM infrastructure, high-performance sales systems, and large-scale commercial transformations — from commercializing a flagship AI platform to market in eight weeks to redesigning compensation for 5,000+ employees. She leads a team of seven with AI automation embedded throughout their work.

Earlier in her career, Srishti served as Insight's first Chief of Staff to the CEO, advised on platform-company strategy at Dell Technologies, opened greenfield enterprise accounts at DUST Identity (an MIT spinout), and founded an ML-powered consumer app that she patented and sold before AI tooling was mainstream. She holds a BS in Materials Science & Engineering from Columbia University and completed Harvard Business School Online (HBX) coursework. In 2026 she was named to CRN's Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders list and selected for the Thayer Leadership program.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Veronica Gawish

VMware Solution Architect

SHI International

Veronica Gawish is a VMware Solution Architect at SHI International, where she helps customers accelerate the adoption of VMware Cloud Foundation through technical enablement workshops, advisory engagements, and cloud modernization initiatives. She is one of only two women in the U.S. to earn Broadcom Knighthood recognition.

With eight years of experience in the technology industry, Veronica has built her career across pre-sales engineering, solution architecture, partner enablement, and channel strategy. She began her career at Dell Technologies before joining VMware, where she supported customer engagements in both English and French. Following the Broadcom acquisition, she became a Partner Technical Director supporting strategic partners, including SHI, ePlus, and Trace3. In this role, she led technical enablement, supported go-to-market strategies, and advised on complex private cloud initiatives—experience that led her to SHI, where she continues to drive customer and partner impact.

Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, Veronica brings a global perspective shaped by building her career in the United States. A passionate advocate for women in technology, she challenges stereotypes and demonstrates that success does not require limiting oneself to a single identity. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Alexandria University and is fluent in English, Arabic, and French.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Paige Gunning

Partner Alliance Manager

Colossal

Paige Gunning is a Partner Account Manager at Colossal Contracting, where she is passionate about building meaningful relationships with technology partners and helping drive business growth. She manages more than 50 strategic partners that have contributed to over $300 million in top-line revenue year-to-date, playing an important role in Colossal's continued success and more than 35% year-over-year profitability growth.

In her first year with the company, Paige was recognized with Colossal's prestigious Rookie of the Year (Honey Badger Award) for her outstanding performance and relentless work ethic. She was also honored as the 2026 Team Member of the Year for the Washington, D.C. Visionaries of the Year campaign benefiting Blood Cancer United, personally raising more than $103,000 to support blood cancer research and families affected by the disease.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Paige competed as a Division I lacrosse goalie, where she developed the discipline, resilience, and competitive spirit that continue to shape her leadership style today. Outside of work, she enjoys playing pickleball and has a fun claim to fame—appearing on stage with Demi Lovato as an eight-year-old during a performance that later became a YouTube favorite.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Angela Jajko

Senior Partner Manager

NexusTek

Angela Jajko has developed a career in public cloud hyperscaler channel and partner management, with a background in alliance, marketing, project management, and administration across the IT, finance, and non-profit industries. She joined Taos in 2018 and was promoted to Microsoft Partner Lead within eight months, becoming the company's expert on the Microsoft partnership before being promoted to GTM Program Manager, serving as the strategic liaison between Product and Marketing for new service builds. After Taos was acquired by IBM, she supported the Microsoft channel with that team. In 2022 Jajko joined Ensono as Public Cloud Microsoft Azure Channel Development Manager, expanded my coverage to AWS and Google Cloud in 2023, and met or exceeded her targets every year. In October 2025, she rejoined many of her former Taos colleagues — including our CEO — at NexusTek as Senior Partner Manager, where she leads partner development across Microsoft, Pax8, and Google Cloud.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Krystal Klein

Director of Operations

Epoch Concepts

Krystal Klein is Director of Operations at Epoch Concepts, where she leads initiatives that improve operational performance, strengthen partner relationships, and enhance the customer experience across the federal technology marketplace. Since joining Epoch, she has advanced through roles in accounting, contracts, program management, business operations, and now executive operations leadership, developing a comprehensive understanding of the people, processes, and partnerships that drive business success.

Known for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to continuous improvement, Krystal has played a key role in major business transformation initiatives, including the implementation of a new ERP platform, process modernization efforts, and enhancements to partner-facing workflows. She is passionate about building scalable operational frameworks that support growth while delivering greater value to customers and technology partners.

Krystal serves on the Dell Partner Board, where she collaborates with industry leaders on emerging technology and channel trends. A finalist in the 2024 CRN Women of the Channel Rising Star Solution Provider category, she is dedicated to fostering strong partnerships, developing future leaders, and creating operational excellence that enables long-term success.

Rising Star of the Year - Solution Provider

Maddie Light

National Director, Territory Account Manager

Visual Edge IT

Maddie Light is a rising leader at Visual Edge IT, where she oversees the company's national Territory Account Management (TAM) organization and Billable Supply team. Known for her adaptability, strategic mindset, and people-first leadership style, Maddie has earned a reputation for stepping into new challenges and delivering results beyond expectations.

Since joining Visual Edge IT, Maddie has advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, including lead generation, project management, Business Technology Advisor, Executive Assistant to the CEO, and now national TAM leadership. Working alongside executive leadership gave her valuable insight into organizational strategy, business operations, and cross-functional collaboration.

Over the past year, Maddie has led the transformation of the national TAM organization from a reactive account management function into a proactive, customer-focused team. She implemented standardized customer engagement frameworks, performance scorecards, escalation processes, and accountability structures that improve consistency, strengthen customer relationships, and increase alignment across Sales, Service, Operations, and Solutions Engineering.

Recognized early in her career with the Regional Rookie of the Year and Big Fish awards, Maddie continues to distinguish herself through accountability, continuous improvement, and a passion for developing others, making her one of Visual Edge IT's most promising emerging leaders.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Chetali Agarwal

Sr.Partner Marketing Manager

Amazon Web Services

Chetali Agarwal is a Senior Partner Marketing Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), leading North America marketing strategy for Systems Integrator partners. With over 12 years of experience spanning Channel, Partner, Revenue, and Digital Marketing, she has built a career defined by strategic innovation and measurable growth.

Since joining AWS in 2022, Chetali has rapidly advanced to her senior leadership role. She drives high-impact go-to-market strategies, accelerating partner success through Strategic Collaboration, Partner-Pipeline-Led (PPL) programs, and demand-driven marketing initiatives that deliver substantial pipeline and revenue impact.

Prior to AWS, Chetali spent nearly eight years at MediaAgility (acquired by Persistent Systems). Rising from a Google for Work Consultant to Marketing Manager quickly, and at the time of leaving MediaAgility, she served as the Global Google Partner Marketing Lead, driving cross-functional efforts for Google Cloud Enterprise offerings.

Deeply committed to inclusion and professional development, Chetali is a certified #IamRemarkable facilitator who has led more than 10 empowerment workshops. She also champions diversity through the Women of the Channel community and previously spearheaded the Women@MediaAgility initiative.

She holds a Global Professional Certificate in Effective Leadership and Management from Michigan State University.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Kelcye Blankenship-Lackland

Director of Channel Enablement

Hatz AI

Kelcye Blankenship-Lackland serves as Director of Channel Enablement at Hatz AI, where she empowers MSPs with cutting-edge AI solutions. With five years of dynamic experience with multiple vendors in channel marketing and enablement, Kelcye has established herself as a compelling voice and connector within the MSP community.

Her career is distinguished by notable recognition, including the Channel Marketing Rising Star Award and multiple public speaking honors. She is certified in Hatz AI Foundations, Prompt Engineering and Ideation, and AI Navigation, Kelcye combines technical expertise with strategic marketing acumen to drive measurable impact across the channel ecosystem.

Known for her authentic engagement style and effective cross-departmental collaboration, Kelcye leverages social media strategically for thought leadership and industry connection. She has built a reputation for fostering meaningful professional relationships that drive business outcomes.

At the heart of Kelcye's work is a people-first philosophy. She is passionate about helping MSPs confidently enter the AI business while building a more connected, supportive channel community. Her approach combines strategic vision with hands-on collaboration, consistently bringing energy, innovation, and what she calls "a little sparkle" to every project and partnership.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Emily Cloutier

Channel Program Strategy Regional Manager

Schneider Electric

Emily Cloutier is a Regional Channel Program Strategy Manager at Schneider Electric, where she plays a key role in transforming how partner programs are positioned, communicated, and activated across the IT channel. Known for bridging strategy and execution, she combines digital marketing expertise, executive storytelling, and field engagement to drive stronger partner adoption and growth.

Over the past year, Emily has been a driving force behind activating Schneider Electric’s Regionally Managed Partner segment—one of the most important and underpenetrated growth segments in the channel. By bringing focus, clarity, and a more intentional engagement model to this audience, she has helped unlock new momentum and transformed how these partners connect to programs, positioning them not just as participants, but as future strategic contributors to the business.

In a period of significant program transformation, Emily has emerged as a trusted voice across partners, sellers, and leadership—bringing alignment, consistency, and forward momentum where it matters most. Her ability to turn complex strategies into actionable partner outcomes is quickly establishing her as a rising leader shaping the future of channel engagement.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Margaret Good

Head of Marketing

Meter

Margaret leads Partner Marketing and Enablement at Meter, supporting go-to-market efforts across resale, distribution, TSD, and service provider channels. She works cross-functionally to extend the reach and impact of Meter’s Partner Program across the organization. Margaret is responsible for translating partner strategy into scalable execution, driving pipeline, deepening partner engagement, and accelerating growth while consistently delivering value to partners. Margaret brings experience building and scaling channel programs at high-growth companies like Cisco Meraki and Samsara. At Samsara, she led partner marketing through a period of hypergrowth, launching global programs and campaigns that generated significant partner-sourced and influenced revenue.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Iryna Konstantinova

Contracts and Event Manager

ThreatLocker

Iryna Konstantinova's career is a reflection of adaptability, determination, and a willingness to embrace new challenges. Originally from Ukraine, she earned a Master's Degree in Law from the National University "Odessa Law Academy" before building experience in both government and business roles.

After moving to the United States three years ago, Iryna joined ThreatLocker just one month after arriving. Starting as a Marketing Intern, she quickly demonstrated her ability to learn, take ownership, and contribute wherever needed. Since then, she has advanced through several roles, including Marketing Coordinator and Senior Event Coordinator, before being promoted to Contracts and Events Manager.

Today, Iryna helps support many of ThreatLocker's event and partner engagement initiatives, working closely with channel partners, executives, sales teams, and technical teams to ensure successful outcomes. She has become known for her reliability, attention to detail, and ability to keep complex projects moving forward.

Her journey from a new arrival in the United States to a leadership role within a growing cybersecurity company demonstrates both her work ethic and her commitment to continuous professional growth.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Annie Lawrence

Cloud Alliances Manager

SentinelOne

Annie Lawrence is a cloud and channel sales leader at SentinelOne, where she leads the AWS partnership across North America. Since joining the company, Annie has been instrumental in scaling SentinelOne's AWS Marketplace business through the channel, helping grow total contract value from $57M to nearly $200M. Over the past year, she architected a channel-first go-to-market framework that has driven over 100% year-over-year growth in AWS Marketplace revenue, with channel-attached business now exceeding 90% of total Marketplace activity.

Early in her career, Annie is passionate about the role the next generation of leaders can play as companies rapidly evolve around cloud and AI. In 2025, she was named a Woman of the Channel by CRN and received SentinelOne's Partner Seller Excellence Award for the Americas in 2026. Outside of work, she actively mentors low-income students and young women pursuing careers in technology. When she's not working, you can find Annie exploring new coffee shops, going for walks, or tuning into her latest podcast obsession.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Shannon Lightfoot

Director, Global Technology Alliances

Ping Identity

Shannon Lightfoot is the Director of Global Technology Alliances at Ping Identity, where she manages the company's Technology Partner program and supports the go-to-market of partner integrations while broadening the reach of Ping’s technology partner ecosystem. Lightfoot is a driven partnership professional with a passion for innovation and problem-solving.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Darien Maples

Strategic Technology Alliances & Integrations Lead

HackerOne

Darien Maples is a cybersecurity leader with over a decade of experience building strategic partnerships, integrations and collaborative programs across the technology industry. As the Strategic Technology Alliances & Integrations Lead at HackerOne, she has created the company’s first Technology Alliance Program, which serves as the foundation for partner engagement, technology integrations and ecosystem growth with cybersecurity companies.

Before joining HackerOne, Darien helped alliance and partner programs at SentinelOne leading up to the company’s public offering. Her work focused on strengthening relationships across the cybersecurity community and creating opportunities for partner collaboration. Earlier, she led security partner activation and artificial intelligence-focused initiatives at Intel, where she worked closely with cybersecurity vendors to support the development of technologies and strategic partnerships.

Darien is passionate about the future of cybersecurity, AI and offensive security research. Her work across the industry has been recognized through nominations for the Tech Trendsetter Award at the Dallas-Fort Worth Founder Awards and the 12th Annual Cyberjutsu Awards, which celebrate women making meaningful contributions to cybersecurity.

Apart from her work at HackerOne, Darien is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tech Besties, a community-driven platform whose purpose is creating spaces for connection, collaboration, and growth across the technology industry.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Amanda Mecutchen

Director of Customer Marketing

Nexora

Amanda Mecutchen is a results-driven marketing leader as Director of Customer Marketing at Almo, with more than a decade of experience in the distribution and AV industries. She specializes in building strategic, customer-focused marketing programs that drive growth, strengthen partner relationships, and deliver measurable business impact.

Known for her collaborative, people-first approach, Amanda connects marketing, sales, and operations to create cohesive strategies that elevate brand visibility and deepen customer engagement. She is passionate about developing innovative campaigns, mentoring emerging talent, and fostering a culture of teamwork and continuous growth.

In addition to her marketing leadership, Amanda recently stepped into a leadership role within the Women of Almo Employee Resource Group, where she helps guide initiatives focused on mentorship, inclusion, and professional development. She also serves as an internal Peer Coach, supporting colleagues across the organization through coaching and leadership development programs.

Amanda’s background in mathematics and athletic coaching has shaped her analytical mindset, discipline, and leadership style, which she has successfully translated into the business world to drive strategy, accountability, and team performance.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Tram Nguyen

Director of Productivity and Business Applications

Sherweb

Tram Nguyen is the Director of Productivity and Business Applications at Sherweb, where she leads the strategic direction and management for this area, including the expansive Microsoft portfolio. She oversees a high-performing team of Product Managers and Product Specialists, driving innovation and delivering exceptional customer experiences across small and mid-sized markets.

With a strong foundation in media technology and computer science - holding a B.Sc. in Media Technology and an M.Sc. in Media Computer Science from the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and the University of Bremen - Tram brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to the cloud and IT services industry. Her career spans over a decade of empowering partners and customers to unlock the full potential of leading hyperscalers, including Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform.

Tram's leadership and impact have been recognized industry-wide. She is a multi-year honoree of CRN's Women of the Channel, a 2026 CRN Channel Chief, and was named to CRN's Women on the Rise list in 2023, celebrating her as a trailblazer in the channel community. Tram is passionate about mentorship, innovation, and creating inclusive environments where teams thrive.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Olivia Peets

Director of Marketing

Balata Data

Olivia Peets is the Marketing Director at Balata Data, a rapidly growing provider of third-party maintenance, IT asset disposition (ITAD), and professional services for the data center industry.

Joining Balata at age 24 as employee number 13, Olivia quickly established herself as one of the company's most influential emerging leaders. Over the past three years, she has built the company's marketing function from the ground up while helping shape partner engagement, brand strategy, recruiting initiatives, company culture, and business growth.

During her tenure, Balata has achieved more than 600% revenue growth while expanding from 13 employees to over 50. Along the way, the company earned recognition including CRN Stellar Startup, CRN Solution Provider 500, Inc. Best Places to Work, and Atlanta Business Chronicle Best Places to Work.

Beyond marketing, Olivia serves as a trusted contributor to the leadership team, helping guide initiatives that support partner success, organizational scalability, and long-term growth. At age 26, she represents a new generation of channel leaders helping shape the future of the IT channel through innovation, relationship-building, and business transformation.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Christine Prisco

Channel Manager

Yubico

Christine Prisco is a dynamic sales and marketing leader with 16 years of experience driving growth and innovation in the technology sector. With an MBA and a background in partner development, she has a proven track record of delivering results for major industry players like SHI and CDW. Her expertise spans sales enablement, go-to-market strategies, and vendor relationship management, particularly within the cybersecurity landscape.

As a Channel Manager at Yubico, Christine grew annual channel revenue double digits through strategic partnerships with CDW and SHI. Previously at CDW, she managed the cybersecurity technology partnerships that drove over $1.3B in annual revenue and generated significant partner investments and leads. Her career is characterized by high-impact achievements in brand management and demand generation. Known for her strong relationship management, Christine continues to drive excellence across the marketing and sales lifecycle.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Allissia Romero

Partner Sales Manager

Check Point Software

Allissia Romero is a seasoned channel and account management professional with extensive experience driving channel revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and business development within the cybersecurity and technology industries. She specializes in helping partners and their customers navigate today's evolving security landscape while aligning technology solutions to business outcomes.

Throughout her career at Cisco, Sonicwall and Check Point, Allissia has built and strengthened relationships with channel partners, customers and industry leaders, creating collaborative strategies that accelerate growth and deliver measurable results. Her expertise spans with partner engagement, account development, security revenue growth and executive relationship management.

Known for her energetic approach, partner-first mindset and the ability to connect people and opportunities, Allissia is passionate about helping partner organizations strengthen their security posture while enabling partners to expand their business. Allissia brings to every engagement the same belief: that the best deals aren't closed, they're built.

Based in Arizona, Allissia brings a combination of business acumen, relationship-building expertise, and industry knowledge that allows her to create meaningful connections and drive long-term success for customers, partners and stakeholders. She holds a BA in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Arizona and is an avid soccer lover currently on nine soccer teams.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Anna Sarnek

VP Business and Strategy

Terra Security

Anna Sarnek is Vice President of Business & Strategy at Terra Security. Prior to joining Terra, she led Cyber Startup and Venture Capital Business Development at AWS, working at the intersection of investors, startups, and the CISO community. She has also served as an advisor to Terra Security for the past year. With 15+ years of experience and a technical background, she excels at identifying unique go-to-market opportunities in enterprise IT and cybersecurity.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Tatum Treadwell

Business Development Manager

Petra Security

Tatum Treadwell is the Founding Business Development Manager at Petra Security, industry speaker, and content creator passionate about growing and helping shape the future of the IT channel through education, community, and authentic relationships.

In just over two years, Tatum has built a career across several facets of the IT channel. She began at Dell Technologies, gaining firsthand experience within the MSP and broader IT channel ecosystem before joining BetterTracker's Channel Program, where she worked alongside MSPs and vendors through business development, content creation, field events, and thought leadership. Today, as the Founding BDM at Petra Security, she is building the company's outbound strategy while introducing MSPs to a modern approach to identity security. These experiences have given Tatum a unique perspective on how vendors, partners, distributors, and service providers succeed together.

Beyond her day-to-day role, Tatum is an active voice in the IT channel through speaking engagements, educational content, and industry events. She is passionate about making complex technology more approachable, creating opportunities for others to grow, and strengthening the channel community. As an emerging leader, Tatum is committed to building meaningful partnerships and inspiring the next generation of professionals entering the IT industry.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Kaitlin Waite

Director, Global Field & Partner Marketing

Expel

Kaitlin Waite is a partner marketing professional who enjoys working with and through partners to drive mutual success. Her experience through multiple positions across distribution, vendors, channels, and alliances has given her the ability to work across organizational boundaries. Kaitlin started her career at Carahsoft, where she was able to learn all aspects of the technology world between event planning, partnership development, email marketing, social media, and so much more.

This awakened a curiosity which led Kaitlin to CloudBees to lead its partner marketing organization. During that time, she launched two partner programs and two partner portals while also managing the company’s cloud relationships. After four years, she moved to Lacework, where she led its global partner marketing strategy. In mid-2023, Kaitlin moved to Expel to work on the messaging side of partner marketing and worked closely with the team on its partner program launch in September 2023. In 2024, Kaitlin was promoted to lead the partner marketing organization at Expel as the Director of Global Partner Marketing. In late 2025, Kaitlin added the field marketing function to extend the reach of her work with partners in the field.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Alison Wong

Channel Marketing Manager

Fortinet

Alison Wong is a Channel Marketing Manager at Fortinet who is passionate about building strong relationships and driving growth across the channel. She has built her career around helping partners succeed through strategic marketing, demand generation, and collaborative business planning. Working closely with Fortinet's distributors, sales teams, and executive stakeholders, Alison develops programs that drive measurable business impact while strengthening partner engagement.

Known for her proactive approach and commitment to continuous improvement, Alison enjoys solving complex challenges and creating scalable processes that support long term success. She is passionate about growing her career in technology, supporting the partner community, and helping pave the way for future women leaders in the channel. Outside of work, Alison enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and doting on her cats.

Rising Star of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Ashley Wurstner

Distribution Account Manager

Arctic Wolf

Ashley Wurstner is a seasoned channel professional with 15+ years of experience spanning distribution, partner ecosystems, and global technology vendors. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Strategic Marketing from Niagara University.

As a Distribution Account Manager at Arctic Wolf, Ashley leads strategic relationships across North American distribution, with a focus on translating strategy into measurable execution. She specializes in aligning data, partner engagement, and field sales to drive scalable growth. In 2026, she expanded her scope to own the AVANT relationship, where she introduced a structured engagement model that generated over $1M in pipeline within the first 60 days.

Ashley is also an active leader within Arctic Wolf’s employee community. As co-lead of the Women Transforming Tech (WTT) Professional Development pillar, she relaunched the company-wide mentorship program and leads initiatives that support career growth and confidence-building.

She resides in Buffalo, NY with her husband, two children, and their dog, Henry.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Robin Albarran

Director of Sales Operations

Future Tech Enterprise, Inc.

Robin Albarran, the Director of Sales Operations at Future Tech Enterprises, Inc., drives the global IT solutions provider’s growth and success behind the scenes. A trusted connector, she’s known for bringing clarity, alignment, and momentum to the business by aligning teams, removing barriers, and ensuring sales strategy translates into strong execution. In just one year, Robin’s vital work has helped Future Tech achieve double-digit year-over-year revenue growth.

Since joining Future Tech in 2025, she’s strengthened the operational infrastructure needed to scale with efficiency and accountability. She’s enhanced forecasting rigor, pipeline visibility, and sales operating cadences to improve decision making. She’s supported strategic hiring, fostered internal collaboration, and greatly improved customer engagement. She’s also influenced compensation, reporting, and performance structures to align behaviors and business goals.

Previously, Robin pioneered go-to-market strategies at Lookout and led a Dell Technologies team supporting large commercial institutions and preferred public accounts. Across every role, she’s built a reputation for being dependable, collaborative, and deeply effective. She’s the type of leader whose contributions are business critical, even though they aren’t in the spotlight.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Mistie Bittancourt

Partner Programs Manager

EVOTEK

Competency, Responsiveness, and Empathy define who I am professionally and personally. As a daughter of immigrants, my parents instilled this from my early upbringing - work hard, be kind to others, and speak with purpose. I’ve been driven to support my colleagues this way throughout my career and my 13 years within the technology industry led me to unmatched outcomes. Building and cultivating relationships is one of my strengths that excelled me in my career and fuels my purpose. My purpose and motivation are my growing family - who support everything I do, personal growth - as life is a continuous project of self-improvement and learning, and lastly experiences – molds the person that I am which builds “relational wealth.”

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Sarah Brown

VP, Finance

Bluum

Sarah Brown is Vice President of Finance at Bluum, where she plays a critical role in guiding the company's financial strategy and supporting its continued growth. Since joining Bluum in 2022, Sarah has helped strengthen financial operations, improve reporting and planning processes, and provide strategic insights that enable informed business decisions across the organization.

Prior to Bluum, Sarah built a strong foundation in finance and accounting through leadership and consulting roles at Wells Fargo, Salo's Compass Program, and PwC, where she specialized in assurance and financial reporting. Her diverse experience across public accounting, financial services, and industry has equipped her with a unique ability to balance financial discipline with business partnership.

Known for her analytical mindset, collaborative approach, and commitment to excellence, Sarah works closely with leaders throughout the organization to support Bluum's mission of helping educators create better learning outcomes for students. While much of her impact happens behind the scenes, her contributions are instrumental to the company's success, making her a trusted advisor and valued leader across the organization.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Karina Gonzalez

Director - Strategic Programs

SHI International

Karina Gonzalez is a strategic leader with over eight years of experience at SHI International, currently serving as Director of Strategic Programs for Commercial Sales in Austin, Texas. She leads the design and execution of high-impact initiatives that drive customer and partner engagement, retention, and growth across the Commercial and SMB segments, while also advancing seller-focused programs that enhance productivity, enablement, and sales effectiveness.

Karina is known for creating meaningful, differentiated experiences that strengthen relationships and deliver business value—from executive briefings and customer advisory boards to partner activations and strategic seller initiatives. She is passionate about fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture and aligning cross-functional stakeholders to achieve measurable outcomes.

Throughout her career at SHI, Karina has held progressive roles spanning sales, enablement, customer engagement, and internal events. She has led large-scale corporate programs and high-touch experiential engagements. Her foundation as an Inside Account Executive and Sales Enablement Specialist informs her ability to connect strategy with execution and deliver impactful results.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Grace Knotts

Marketing Manager

Colossal

Grace Knotts is the Marketing Manager at Colossal Contracting, where she leads marketing initiatives that strengthen partner relationships, elevate brand awareness, and support business growth across the federal IT channel. Known for her creativity, strategic mindset, and attention to detail, Grace consistently delivers innovative marketing campaigns, partner programs, and events that drive meaningful engagement.

Over the past year, Grace has played a key role in executing integrated marketing strategies, supporting executive and partner events, developing compelling digital content, and enhancing Colossal's brand presence. Her collaborative leadership style and ability to transform ideas into impactful campaigns have made her a trusted resource for both internal teams and strategic technology partners.

Outside of work, Grace enjoys traveling and combining her passion for storytelling with videography by creating engaging travel videos that capture the unique destinations and experiences from her adventures. Her creativity extends beyond marketing, allowing her to connect with audiences in authentic and memorable ways.

Grace's innovation, dedication, and behind-the-scenes leadership have made a lasting impact on Colossal's success. Her ability to consistently deliver exceptional results while elevating those around her makes her a truly deserving candidate for CRN's Hidden Gem of the Year.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Helene Martinelli

Vice President, Warehouse Operations

Visual Edge IT

Helene Martinelli is Vice President of Warehouse Operations for Visual Edge IT, where she oversees a nationwide distribution network consisting of nine Regional Distribution Centers, nine warehouse managers, and 73 warehouse employees. With more than 28 years of experience in the office technology industry, Helene has built her career through hands-on leadership across operations, inventory management, finance, and organizational development.

Since joining Visual Edge IT through acquisition in 2016, she has played a key role in integrating seven acquisitions and helping build the company's New England market. Helene led the creation of New England's first Regional Distribution Center by consolidating seven warehouse operations into a centralized distribution hub, improving efficiency, inventory visibility, and operational consistency.

Known for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to continuous improvement, Helene has driven significant operational enhancements across Visual Edge IT's warehouse network, including industry-leading inventory accuracy, substantial reductions in inventory damage, enhanced safety programs, and process improvements that support customers, technicians, and partners nationwide. She is also passionate about mentoring employees and helping team members grow into new opportunities across the organization.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Solution Provider

Kimberly Primeaux

Director of Human Resources

Global Data Systems, Inc.

Kimberly Primeaux, SPHR is a strategic human resources leader whose work has strengthened operational excellence, workforce readiness, and responsible technology adoption at Global Data Systems. As Director of Human Resources, she leads the people, compliance, and governance frameworks that support a fast‑moving technology organization and align talent strategy with long‑term business growth.

With more than fifteen years of experience leading multi‑state HR operations, Kimberly brings deep expertise in compliance, risk mitigation, and scalable workforce design. She is known for transforming complex HR environments into disciplined systems that improve decision quality, reduce organizational risk, and support sustainable operational outcomes. Her leadership style is steady, practical, and business‑minded.

Kimberly played a key role in launching GDS’s first AI‑powered HR agent, guiding planning and execution to ensure governance, data protection, and regulatory compliance. The solution streamlines HR inquiries, improves accuracy, and enables the HR team to focus on higher‑value strategic work.

A true Hidden Gem, Kimberly’s quiet influence and thoughtful innovation strengthen the organizations she serves.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Ciera Broberg

Vice President of Back Office Operations

Telarus

Ciera Broberg is Vice President of Back Office Operations at Telarus where she leads operational strategies that support frontline teams and help advisors serve customers with confidence. With more than 20 years of telecommunications industry experience, she specializes in improving operational efficiency, advisor experience, and scalable business transformation.

Ciera oversees critical functions including quoting, pricing, order management, and process optimization. She's known for transforming complex operational challenges into practical, scalable solutions that improve consistency, communication, and overall business performance. Over the past year, she has led initiatives that improved quote turnaround times, streamlined communication processes, strengthened quality assurance, and advanced AI and automation within operational workflows.

A collaborative, people-focused leader, Ciera works across departments to simplify workflows, identify gaps, and drive continuous improvement. She believes the best solutions come from listening to those closest to the work and creating an environment built on accountability, transparency, and trust. Her leadership style combines operational discipline with authenticity, creating lasting impact for both the organization and its channel partners.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Meggan Fenton

Senior Director of Supplier Management

Telarus

With over a decade of experience in supplier management and strategic partnerships, I currently serve as the Senior Director of Supplier Management at Telarus, the largest privately-held technology services distributor in the United States. I lead the vision, strategy, and execution of our supplier ecosystem, which includes over 450 network, cloud, cybersecurity, CX and Ai vendors. My mission is to drive impactful growth, optimize supplier performance, and align partner engagement with Telarus’ broader business objectives. I am passionate about fostering meaningful relationships and creating value for our advisor community through innovative solutions and collaborative leadership.

At Telarus, I define supplier strategies, oversee lifecycle management, and negotiate contracts to enhance financial performance and operational excellence. By partnering with cross-functional teams, I ensure our supplier portfolio aligns with market direction and business goals. My expertise in strategic influence and vendor management enables our team to deliver tailored technology solutions that empower our partners and foster long-term success.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Chessie Huber

Global Distribution Manager

Liongard

I'm a Global Distribution Manager at Liongard, where I build and strengthen channel relationships through distribution partners across the IT ecosystem. My focus is connecting MSPs and IT teams to Liongard's platform - the system of authority for asset intelligence - helping them move away from fragmented tools and unreliable data toward a trusted foundation that powers automation, security, and scalable operations.

I bring over two decades of channel, sales, and business development experience across technology and communications. Before moving into distribution, I spent several years at Liongard in business development and partner relationship management, giving me a ground-level understanding of what partners need to see value quickly and grow with the platform.

I'm passionate about bridging strategy and execution - bringing the right people, partners, and processes together to drive measurable impact. In distribution, that means understanding not just the products I represent, but the businesses I serve and the ecosystems they operate in. I stay close to the work, invest in the relationships, and show up with the context and consistency partners can count on.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Amy Just-Cullinane

Sr. Strategic Marketing Manager

Schneider Electric

Amy Just-Cullinane is a Senior Strategic Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric with over 25 years of experience in channel marketing, eCommerce, and go-to-market strategy. She leads strategic marketing initiatives for the IT Channel and SLED segments.

Amy has a strong track record of developing and executing integrated awareness, retention, and lead generation programs, while collaborating across global marketing, sales, and channel strategy teams. She is known for translating market insights and data into actionable strategies that optimize performance and accelerate business impact.

Amy has been recognized by CRN as a “Woman of the Channel” and one of the “100 People You Should Know.”

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Christie Lambert

Global VP, Partner Success

Inforcer

Christie has spent almost her entire career in the channel, specifically working with Managed Service Providers. In 2012, she joined Autotask at a pivotal moment as the business expanded from the US into Europe. As the first Account Manager in EMEA, Christie played a key role in establishing and growing the EMEA customer base. Following Autotask, she moved to a vendor specialising in white-label, 24/7 outsourced NOC and Service Desk services for MSPs, where she continued to work closely with MSP partners as their account manager. Christie later joined Continuity Marketing, a specialist MSP-focused marketing and lead generation agency, where she led the account management function and supported partners in driving growth through more effective go-to-market strategies. She joined inforcer in July 2023 — as an employee and an investor — in its pre-revenue/'minimum viable product' stage. Since then, the company has grown rapidly to over 1,200 MSP partners globally, revolutionizing their security and service posture around Microsoft. At inforcer, Christie leads customer experience, running a global Partner Success function with a strong emphasis on setting a new, industry-leading standard for customer care, enablement, and long-term MSP partner value.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Margaux Martin

Sr. Manager, Logistics Systems

TD SYNNEX

Logistics Systems leader with more than a decade of experience connecting operations, technology, and people to drive results. Throughout my career at TD SYNNEX, I have advanced through roles in logistics coordination, training, project management, quality, and logistics systems leadership, building a strong foundation in both operations and systems transformation. As Sr. Manager, Logistics Systems, I lead warehouse management system strategy and execution across North America, focusing on solutions that improve efficiency, strengthen processes, and support high-performing distribution environments. I am recognized for translating complex operational needs into practical system solutions and for fostering strong partnerships across business, IT, quality, and engineering teams. My expertise includes warehouse management systems, testing, documentation, training, analytics, and continuous improvement. I am also passionate about mentorship, structured communication, and helping teams navigate change with confidence. I hold a Master of Science in Logistics Management with a concentration in Humanitarian Disaster and Relief Logistics, a Graduate Certificate in Business Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Kelly O'Brien

National Partner Sales Manager

Check Point Software, Inc

Discrimination and societal standards have always been my obstacles, so I decided instead of submitting to them, I would try to change just one life, alter just one person's opinion of difference, build just one more person's empathy. I want people to understand that even in business, mind and heart pilot success - not looks and popularity. That is what drives me every single day, in every partnership I build and every person I show up for.

I am not here for an award. I am here to be seen - for myself, and for every woman like me who shows up fully every day and is still somehow overlooked.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Taukia O'Donnell

Director, Bid Operations

Nexora

Taukia O'Donnell is an award-winning channel and go-to-market leader in the professional AV industry, recognized for expertise in pricing strategy, bid operations, project registration, and partner enablement. She leads a high-impact team that serves as the first point of engagement for more than $600M in annual revenue opportunities, supporting over 40,000 custom projects through collaboration with system integrators, manufacturers, sales teams, and stakeholders. Known for responsiveness and operational leadership, she has built a reputation as a trusted relationship builder across the channel ecosystem.

Throughout her career, Taukia has helped partners and internal teams drive strong outcomes through execution, collaboration, and problem-solving. Her work plays a critical behind-the-scenes role in helping partners remain competitive while supporting growth, efficiency, and long-term trust. She has contributed to growth in project registrations and partner engagement while maintaining a focus on customer experience and execution excellence.

As a former collegiate basketball scholarship athlete and working mother, Taukia brings resilience, discipline, accountability, and empathy to her leadership style. She mentors others, especially young professionals and women entering Pro AV, and is committed to building inclusive, high-performing teams and meaningful relationships that create lasting impact across the organization and channel community, driving measurable results across environments today.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Florence Platt

Head of Partner Ecosystem, Americas

Check Point Software, Inc

Florence has been with Check Point for 14 years, beginning her career in Inside Sales and progressing into her current role as Head of Partner Ecosystem Operations. She leads a team of 12 professionals responsible for partner onboarding and operational support across MSPs, GSIs, National Partners, and unmanaged partners.

Throughout her career, Florence has focused on improving the partner experience and helping partners navigate and grow within the Check Point ecosystem. Her responsibilities span partner onboarding, certifications, deal registration processes, partner program updates, channel training, partner communications, and strategic initiatives designed to drive partner success.

Over the past year, Florence played a key role in increasing partner certification participation by 25% year over year, helping partners build technical expertise and strengthen their businesses. She is known for her collaborative approach, operational excellence, and ability to bring teams together to solve challenges and improve processes.

In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Florence serves as Co-Chair of Check Point's Women's Group, where she helps organize quarterly events, develop new initiatives, and foster a more connected and supportive workplace culture.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Amber Sepulvado

Senior Director, Partner Engagement, Communications & Events

ServiceNow

Amber Sepulvado is the Senior Director of Partner Engagement, Communications and Events at ServiceNow, where she leads the team responsible for enabling the company's global partner ecosystem to sell, solve, and deliver at scale. Her team's scope spans events, digital experience, communications, integrated programming, creative, voice of partner, and partner community.

Over five-plus years at ServiceNow, Amber has built partner-facing programs that balance operational scale with measurable business outcomes. She approaches partner engagement with the discipline of a product team: translating vision into execution, building coherent systems over disconnected initiatives, and staying relentlessly focused on what partners actually need to accelerate time-to-value.

In the past year alone, her team deployed AI-powered workflows across multiple functions to drive efficiency at scale, produced Knowledge 2026 Partner Day for 1,500+ partners, and launched a transformed digital experience that drove 195% growth in portal engagement. She is a 2026 nominee for Tercera's WiSe (Women in Services) program, and is recognized internally as a builder who elevates the people around her as much as the programs she leads.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Kelsey Slavich

Channel Marketing Manager

Exabeam

Kelsey Slavich is a Channel Marketing Manager at Exabeam, where she plays a pivotal role in driving partner engagement and enabling channel growth across North America. With nearly 5 years in the channel, Kelsey is known for driving adoption of key programs, improving partner access to resources, and ensuring marketing efforts translate into real business impact.

Kelsey leads the execution of partner-focused initiatives including MDF programs, global campaign toolkits, and enablement resources designed to simplify how partners go to market. She has successfully managed dozens of partner events, webinars, and strategic campaigns, consistently elevating partner experience while strengthening alignment between sales and marketing teams.

Kelsey is a trusted collaborator and problem-solver, partnering cross-functionally to improve processes, streamline communications, and ensure partners have easy access to the tools they need to succeed. Her work has strengthened partner relationships, increased program adoption, and contributed to broader channel success.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Dawn Woodward

Channel Marketing Manager

Fortinet

Dawn Woodward is a Channel Marketing Manager at Fortinet, leading partner marketing strategy for over 35 partners headquartered in the Western United States, with programs driving national impact. She delivers data-driven initiatives that accelerate pipeline, expand cybersecurity practices, and reach thousands of end users annually, supporting partner pipelines that often exceed seven figures.

With a strategic, partner-first mindset and over seven years of VAR experience, Dawn brings a deeply informed perspective to her role. She is known for designing tailored marketing strategies aligned to each partner’s business model, technical strengths, and growth goals—consistently driving measurable engagement and results beyond standardized approaches.

Her impact is demonstrated through strategic MDF investment, resulting in 38% overall partner growth in 2025, including 434% year-over-year growth for a Tier 1 partner. She directly connects marketing strategy to revenue outcomes, strengthening accountability and maximizing return.

Dawn is a trusted leader and innovator, selected for tiger teams and beta initiatives including the Impartner MDF rollout and marketing AI enablement. Working closely with Channel Account Managers and Systems Engineers, she also advances enablement efforts that strengthen partner capabilities and solution-selling effectiveness.

Her work reflects sustained business impact, innovation, and strategic leadership across the channel ecosystem.

Hidden Gem of the Year - Vendor or Distributor

Blythe Zacheis

Global Channel Marketing Manager

Logitech

Blythe joined Logitech in 2021 to drive global media programs, spanning 35+ countries with a focus on Channel, Alliances and Verticals. During her tenure, she has honed her creativity and expertise in building effective marketing campaigns and communications that elevate Logitech's presence and impact with channel partners. Her strategic and collaborative approach delivers strong results, including the successful launch/ongoing maintenance of a partner-specific LinkedIn strategy, a monthly global partner newsletter, always-on category campaigns, enablement support for partners, and marketing support for Logitech's Partner Connect Program. She is a passionate advocate for the channel industry and loves building relationships with fellow vendors, partners, and peers. Blythe has worked in the channel industry for six years, previously building digital marketing programs for TD SYNNEX. Prior to that, she worked in higher education across both marketing and teaching roles. She is a graduate of Clemson University (Go Tigers!) with a Master's degree in Communication. Blythe's most important and best roles are mom and wife – with a 12 and 2 year old, her family is always on the go with sports, concert band, and more. In her free time, she enjoys reading, CrossFit, spending time with her three dogs, and cooking.

Ally of the Year

Dan Campbell

President, North America Sales

Palo Alto Networks

Dan is the President of North America for Palo Alto Networks. Dan has spent his career building high-growth sales organizations in the tech industry. As president of Arrow ECS, North America, he oversaw the P&L, the supplier and partner strategy, and fostered strong relationships with the world’s top technology companies and channel partners. Previously, Dan served as EVP of Global Sales at NCR, and spent two decades at Dell EMC in a series of high-profile, global leadership roles across Sales (HW, SW, SaaS, Cloud, PS, CS), Customer Success, Sales Operations, Channels, Alliances, Cloud Partnerships, Sales IT Systems, Sales & Management Enablement, and Field Marketing.

Dan is a hands-on leader who spends as much time as possible directly in the field with sales teams, customers and partners.

A champion for diversity, equity and inclusion, Dan is passionate about developing people and building strong, diverse teams. He was the executive sponsor for EMC’s first women’s networking group and served as chairman for NCR’s Black Professional Forum.

Dan and his family are actively involved in a number of philanthropic areas, including Team Jack, which is focused upon a cure for pediatric brain cancer.

Ally of the Year

Francisco Criado

Sr. Vice President Cloud, Security and AI

TD SYNNEX

Francisco Criado serves as the Senior Vice President of Cloud, Security, and AI for TD SYNNEX. In this role, he provides strategic direction and drives go-to-market execution, vendor relationships, and sales performance across the company’s high-growth portfolios in North America. Francisco is a highly respected channel veteran, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience spanning vendors, distributors, resellers, and system integrators. He is tasked with aligning strategies and actions to deliver a competitive advantage within these key ecosystems, ensuring TD SYNNEX and its partners remain on the leading edge of digital transformation. Prior to rejoining TD SYNNEX, Francisco served as Vice President of Global Partner Ecosystems at Check Point Software Technologies, where he successfully drove global channel contribution and strategic program execution. He previously held several senior leadership roles at TD SYNNEX and its legacy companies, including a previous term as SVP of Cloud, Data & IoT, and earlier service as VP of Global Security Solutions and VP of IBM Solutions. Based in San Antonio, Francisco holds dual Bachelor of Applied Arts degrees in International Business Management and Marketing from Florida International University. He has received numerous industry awards for channel achievements and is active in supporting and community initiatives.

Ally of the Year

Jeff Dugan

Senior Manager, Sales Enablement

Arctic Wolf

Jeff Dugan is the Senior Manager of Sales Enablement leading Technical Sales Enablement at Arctic Wolf, with over two decades of experience across cybersecurity, technical sales, and channel enablement. A recognized inclusive leader and active ally, Jeff is deeply committed to advancing gender equity within the channel by fostering environments where women are supported, heard, and empowered to grow their careers.

He serves on the Women Transforming Tech Professional Relationships Committee, where he has helped champion mentorship initiatives that connect and develop women across the organization. Known for his empathetic, people-first leadership, Jeff is passionate about removing barriers to opportunity, amplifying underrepresented voices, and building high-trust teams that enable both individual and collective success.

Ally of the Year

Steven Feldstein

Global Partner Product Marketing Director

Ivanti

Steven Feldstein is Global Partner Product Marketing Director at Ivanti, where he leads partner-facing messaging and enablement for the entire Ivanti portfolio across multiple routes to market. He also oversees technical alliances and white-labeled offerings, helping strengthen Ivanti’s partner ecosystem and go-to-market impact.

With more than 20 years of experience, Steven brings deep expertise in partner marketing, ecosystem development and planning and portfolio marketing. He has previously held leadership roles at SparkPost, Tangoe and Brother USA, where he expanded partner go-to-market strategy and ecosystem engagement.

Based in Boonton, New Jersey, Steven holds a BA in Marketing from Emory University and an MBA in Information Systems from Fairleigh-Dickinson University, along with industry certifications in capture and enterprise content management.

Ally of the Year

Larry Frazier

SVP, Sales

Colossal

Larry Frazier is the Senior Vice President of Growth & Strategy at Colossal Contracting, where he leads sales, strategic partnerships, and business growth across the federal IT market. A retired U.S. Army veteran and former Cisco executive, Larry is committed to developing people, building lasting partnerships, and fostering an inclusive culture where individuals are empowered to succeed.

Throughout his career, Larry has championed mentorship, leadership development, and creating opportunities for others to grow professionally. He believes the strongest organizations are built by investing in people, encouraging diverse perspectives, and leading with authenticity, accountability, and respect.

Beyond the workplace, Larry is passionate about giving back to the community. In 2026, he was recognized as 1st Runner-Up in the Washington, D.C. Visionaries of the Year campaign benefiting Blood Cancer United after leading a fundraising effort that raised more than $263,000 for blood cancer research and patient support.

Whether mentoring future leaders, supporting charitable initiatives, or strengthening relationships across the technology channel, Larry is dedicated to making a meaningful impact. His servant leadership philosophy and commitment to helping others succeed embody the values of the CAN Ally of the Year Award.

Ally of the Year

Darren Gottesmann

Vice President, US Sales

Ingram Micro, Inc.

Darren Gottesmann serves as the Vice President of Sales of Ingram Micro’s SMB partner divisions. He drives strategy, engagement, and culture—ensuring a world class vendor, associate, and solutions partner experience. Darren is heavily involved in our Ingram Micro Partner Communities—Trust X Alliance and SMB Alliance—both of which have had the honor of being recipients of CRN’s 5 Star award and are experiencing growth that outpaces the market.

Prior to Ingram Micro, Darren worked at Computer Associates (CA), serving in several roles before joining the global strategic account team. While at CA, he spent time in both direct and channel sales, and represented a variety of technologies including storage, security, databases, and networking.

With a business management degree and marketing concentration from Ithaca College, more than 29 years of IT experience, and a passion to create innovative programs, Darren excels at inspiring sales teams to challenge the status quo and develop cutting-edge, go-to market strategies for Ingram Micro and its partners.

Ally of the Year

James Hwang

CEO

Visual Edge IT

James Hwang is Chief Executive Officer of Visual Edge IT, a national leader in managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud, communications, and office technology solutions. He joined Visual Edge IT as CEO in July 2025, bringing a distinguished track record of operational excellence, transformational leadership, and growth within the IT services and managed services sectors.

Prior to Visual Edge IT, James served as CEO of 1Path Holdings, a comprehensive IT services and consulting firm based in Atlanta. He also previously led Cal Net Technology Group, one of the foundational companies that became NexusTek, a nationwide managed services platform. Under his leadership, Cal Net was recognized by Channel Futures as MSP of the Year.

At Visual Edge IT, James is leading the company through its next stage of transformation as a comprehensive national technology solutions provider. His leadership is focused on scaling service offerings, deepening customer relationships, strengthening operational alignment, and driving growth across IT services and office technology platforms.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and belief in the power of diverse perspectives, James is committed to building a culture where talented leaders have the opportunity to contribute, grow, and help shape the future of the organization.

Ally of the Year

Ed McNamara

Associate Vice President of Corporate Sponsorships

SHI International

Ed McNamara, Associate Vice President of Corporate Sponsorships at SHI International, brings 30 years of experience across sales, management, and marketing communications. He has built his career on driving strategic partnerships and brand growth while opening opportunities for others to grow, lead, and influence outcomes.

In his role, Ed leads a portfolio of sponsorships spanning higher education, professional sports, and executive leadership networks, strengthening SHI’s visibility as the largest women and minority-owned business in North America. Through campaigns, events, and storytelling, he has elevated the company’s brand while reinforcing a commitment to inclusion and representation.

This year, Ed founded SHI’s “Business to Golf” program, expanding access to relationship-driven environments where women have historically been underrepresented. He also advanced SHI’s LPGA partnership, including the addition of female athlete ambassadors, and is a member of the Inspire Leadership Network, where he helps elevate diverse perspectives across the technology channel.

Inspired by the resilience of his grandmother and the empathy of his sister, Ed approaches allyship as an ongoing responsibility. He supports women both within SHI and beyond through mentorship, leadership development, programming, and panel discussions that amplify the voices of female leaders and strengthen leadership dialogue across the organization and IT channel.

Ally of the Year

Tony Thompson

Chief Marketing Officer

Seemplicity

Tony Thompson is the Chief Marketing Officer at Seemplicity, bringing more than 25 years of experience scaling global B2B technology and cybersecurity brands. He leads Seemplicity's global go-to-market strategy, brand development, demand generation, and channel marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Seemplicity, Tony served as CMO at Swimlane, where he helped establish the company as the leader in AI-driven security automation. Under his leadership, Swimlane achieved more than 4x revenue growth, expanded its active sales pipeline by 800%, and generated qualified engagement with over 75% of the Fortune 500.

Before Swimlane, Tony was CMO at Kemp Technologies, where he led the company's repositioning around the "always-on application experience." His marketing strategy helped drive nearly 100% revenue growth and contributed to Kemp's successful acquisition by Progress Software.

Earlier in his career, Tony held senior marketing leadership roles at leading technology companies including Silver Peak, McAfee, Juniper Networks, SS8 Networks, and Blue Coat.

Known for building category-defining brands and driving measurable business growth, Tony specializes in helping technology companies differentiate in competitive markets. He is also a frequent conference speaker and podcast guest, sharing practical insights on marketing, growth, and category creation.

Tony holds a Bachelor's degree in Speech Communication from Fresno State.

Ally of the Year

Erik Wischhusen

SVP, Head of Engineering

Blend360

Erik Wischhusen serves as SVP, Head of Engineering at Blend, the global AI and data services firm with 1,300+ professionals operating across 15+ countries. In this role, Erik leads Blend’s engineering organization, overseeing the build-out of AI engineering capabilities, production-ready data infrastructure, and the next generation of agentic AI systems that power Blend’s enterprise clients.

Erik has been instrumental in shaping Blend's technical culture, one defined by rigor, inclusion, and a belief that the best teams are also the most diverse ones. His track record as an engineering leader is matched by his track record as a sponsor: actively identifying, championing, and elevating women into senior technical roles at a time when the industry's data shows female representation in engineering leadership remains critically low.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Shweta Bajaj

Head of Operations

Avahi, Inc.

With a distinguished career spanning technology, operations, and business transformation, Shweta Bajaj, currently leads Operations at Avahi, recognized as Start Up of the Year 2025. Over four years, she has been the architect behind the company’s growth, scaling it by more than 5x in revenue and from 3 to over 100 employees, while building the operational foundation that made that growth possible. She oversees sales, IT, and finance operations, driving cross-functional alignment across a high-performing IT channel organization.

A strategic leader blending technical expertise with business acumen, she has designed and streamlined end-to-end processes across sales, pre-sales, delivery, and finance. Her focus on automation and systems integration has enabled sustainable growth, and she is known for translating complex business needs into scalable solutions that unite teams and drive results.

Holding a master’s degree in physics, a CCIE certification, and AWS cloud credentials, she brings rare technical depth to an operational leadership role. Before Avahi, she held leadership roles at Accenture, Cisco TAC, and Corus Entertainment, where she led network operations and managed large-scale technology implementations.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Brittany Fugate

General Manager, Kansas City Market

Corporate Technologies

Brittany Fugate is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and community leader with more than a decade of experience building and scaling managed IT services organizations. As the founder and former CEO of Cenetric Network Services, she led the company from a small startup to one of the Midwest's most respected managed service providers, earning recognition for innovation, customer service excellence, and sustained growth. Following Cenetric's acquisition by Corporate Technologies, Brittany transitioned into a leadership role focused on growth, client success, and strategic community engagement.

Throughout her career, Brittany has been recognized for her ability to connect business strategy with meaningful community impact. She has received numerous honors, including being named a finalist for the Mr. K Award, a finalist for NAWBO Women Business Owner of the Year, a CRN CEO of the Year finalist, and recognition in Ingram's Corporate Report 100. She is also an active participant in leadership and entrepreneurship programs throughout the Kansas City region.

Beyond business, Brittany is passionate about mentorship, entrepreneurship, and creating opportunities for others. She regularly shares lessons learned from building, growing, and successfully exiting a business, while continuing to advocate for small businesses, leadership development, and community involvement.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Jessica Goin

Director of Sales Administration

ANM

Jessica Goin is a strategic operations leader with more than 16 years of experience at ANM, where she currently serves as Director of Sales Administration. She leads one of the company’s largest and most impactful teams, helping drive the operational excellence and responsiveness that contribute directly to ANM’s high client satisfaction ratings and long-term client relationships.

Throughout her tenure, Jessica has held leadership roles across Sales Operations, Business Process Automation, and Sales Administration, earning a reputation as a trusted partner to executive leadership and sales teams alike. She has played a key role in streamlining complex business processes, improving operational efficiency, and supporting ANM’s continued growth through scalable, client-focused operations.

Jessica is widely respected for her collaborative leadership style, mentorship, and ability to foster strong relationships across the organization. She leads with accountability, empathy, and a deep commitment to service, creating an environment where both employees and clients feel supported. Her combination of operational expertise, strategic thinking, and people-first leadership has made her an invaluable contributor to ANM’s success.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Prerna Goja

Founder & CEO

Zensa LLC

Prerna Goja is the Founder and CEO of Zensa, a global AI, cloud, and engineering transformation firm serving Fortune 500 enterprises, US defense programs, and state & local governments across six countries. Under her leadership, Zensa has achieved 300% growth in its government vertical, launched defense technology engagements alongside Microsoft and Anduril, and expanded its partner ecosystem to includeIBM, and Anduril. A recognized voice on DEI, digital accessibility, and enterprise AI, Prerna has scaled companies from $5M to over $200M and secured investment from Microsoft.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Kathryn Hall

SVP, Managed Security Services

Optiv

Kathryn Hall is the SVP of Services at Optiv, where she leads the company’s global services organization, driving strategy, innovation, and performance across managed security services. A dynamic and results-driven executive, Kathryn is recognized for aligning business strategy to client outcomes and leading organizations through complex transformation.

As the first female SVP of Services at Optiv, Kathryn brings a distinct perspective rooted in client success and service delivery. This foundation shapes her focus on driving long-term value—improving client retention, accelerating technology adoption, and delivering measurable security outcomes.

Prior to returning to Optiv, Kathryn served as VP of Customer Experience at Lightstream. Earlier in her career, she played a key role in scaling Optiv’s managed services business and held leadership roles at LogRhythm focused on client success and partner engagement.

Kathryn has guided the organization through major strategic shifts, including the transition to a managed services-led model and the divestiture of Optiv’s ACT business.

Kathryn is also a passionate advocate for developing future leaders. She serves as Executive Sponsor of the Optiv Women’s Network, is a member of Optiv’s inaugural AI Council, and frequently speaks on leadership in the AI era.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Tracey Hayes

Senior Vice President of Sales

MicroAge

Tracey Hayes is Senior Vice President of Sales at MicroAge, where she leads the national sales organization in helping businesses secure, accelerate, and transform with the right mix of technology solutions and services. Her leadership has played a significant role in driving the company’s sustained growth and industry recognition, including placements on CRN’s Tech Elite 250, Solution Provider 500, and MSP 500 lists.

Tracey joined MicroAge in 1993 and has held leadership roles across account development and product marketing, helping build a strong, sales-driven culture that continues to set the organization apart. Her focus on collaboration, performance, and relationships has contributed to MicroAge’s ongoing recognition as a Best Place to Work by the Phoenix Business Journal for the eleventh year.

In her current role, Tracey focuses on scaling growth, strengthening partner and client relationships, and recruiting top sales talent nationwide. She works closely with sales leaders and subject matter experts to deliver consistent results while mentoring account executives and supporting their professional growth in a hybrid work environment.

Tracey holds a B.S. in Communications from Arizona State University and lives in the Phoenix metro area with her husband, Larry. They have three adult children they are incredibly proud of.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Solange Jacob

VP Google Cloud

Pythian

Solange Jacob is the Vice President Google Cloud at Pythian, a leading cloud solutions provider. With over 18 years in leadership roles and over 18 years of experience in project management, Solange has successfully delivered complex and strategic IT implementations for clients across various sectors, including public, non-profit, and corporate.

Solange is passionate about creating and enhancing customer experiences that are engaging, impactful, and aligned with business goals. She leads and manages a team of project managers, change managers and technical experts who work with senior leadership and stakeholders to develop and execute innovative and effective cloud computing solutions.

Solange is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner, with expertise in scope, risk, budget, communication, and stakeholder management, as well as business analysis, training, and event planning. Solange is also a recipient of the Women We Admire Top 50 Toronto 2023 and 2024 Award , recognizing her outstanding contributions and achievements in her field. More recently, this year (2026) she made Impaakt's magazine cover as "Women Leader of the Year" and also in Forttuna's GlobalPower 100 List also being showcased in their magazine and on a Timesquare Billboard.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Leslie Jemiolo

Director of Partner Marketing

MarketDesign Consulting Inc.

Leslie Jemiolo is a relationship-driven marketing leader with decades of experience helping technology organizations build stronger partner ecosystems, execute high-impact campaigns, and create meaningful connections between vendors, partners, and customers. She currently holds the dual role of Director, Partner Marketing at Compugen Inc., Canada's largest privately-owned Technology Ally; and Director of Channel + Promotions at MarketDesign Consulting, Inc. Leslie combines strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of channel dynamics to transform partnerships into measurable business growth.

Throughout her career, Leslie has led field marketing, events, partner development, and client success initiatives across some of the technology industry's most respected organizations. Her experience spans telecom, solution providers, manufacturers, and channel-focused businesses, giving her a unique perspective on what it takes to build programs that drive results while strengthening relationships.

On a more personal note, Leslie is a devoted mom and "grammy" who is grounded in faith and generous to the core. She brings the same creative spirit and care to everything she does. Whether it's baking a wedding cake from scratch, building a flower bed with her bare hands, or knowing exactly what someone needs before they know it themselves, the channel is so lucky to have her.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Christie Kramer-Codner

Chief Operating Officer

Epoch Concepts

Christie Kramer-Codner is the Chief Operating Officer of Epoch Concepts and an accomplished IT industry executive with nearly a decade of experience leading operations for a high-growth organization. Her path to executive leadership was unconventional. After leaving high school before completion, Christie earned her GED and went on to complete two undergraduate degrees with honors, followed by an Executive MBA from the University of Colorado. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Metropolitan State University.

Christie joined Epoch Concepts in 2013 and has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth from $20 million to nearly $400 million in revenue. Appointed COO in 2023, she oversees accounting, operations, integration services, inside account management, marketing, IT, and security. Known for her empathy-first leadership style and operational rigor, Christie focuses on driving efficiency, strengthening channel partnerships, and aligning teams around shared goals. Her ability to blend disciplined execution with strong relationship-building has been instrumental in advancing Epoch Concepts’ long-term growth and partner trust.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Andrea Marin

CFO

Brodeur Partners

Andrea Marin is the chief financial officer (CFO) for Logicalis US, where she leads the company’s financial strategy and ensures alignment with parent company, Logicalis Group. She is responsible for maintaining sound day-to-day fiscal management and controls, including finance, accounting, strategy, planning and forecasting in concert with the CEO and executive team. She also is a key partner to the sales organization, supporting Logicalis customers and ensuring the company's strategy meets their needs.

Andrea joined Logicalis in 2021 from ACP CreativIT, where she served as CFO. With a strong background in the financial sector, she has gained experience working with a variety of technology and services organizations, including Meeting Tomorrow and Motorola.

In addition to her CFO responsibilities, Andrea founded and serves as executive sponsor of several key management committees including Logicalis’ AI Committee, which focuses on go-to-market, service delivery and internal operations. She was also nominated to participate in a board readiness program by Deloitte, where she gained a variety of board skills through in-person and online events.

She is a graduate of Michigan State University and DePaul University’s Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and is based in Downers Grove, Ill.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Regina Manfredi

President

SoftwareOne

Regina Manfredi is President, North America at SoftwareOne, where she leads the region with a focus on building strong teams, trusted partnerships, and customer-centric growth. Known for her direct, energizing leadership style, Regina brings clarity and momentum to complex environments, helping organizations and teams move forward with confidence. Previously, Regina served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Crayon US, where she built and scaled a high-performing organization recognized for its expertise in IT optimization and cloud-first strategies. Following Crayon's acquisition by SoftwareOne, she has played a central role in uniting the two cultures around trust, execution, and shared accountability. Throughout her career, Regina has held senior leadership roles across the Microsoft and AWS ecosystems, including Vice President of Worldwide CSP Alliances at Teradata and SVP, Corporate Sales & Software at PCM and Insight, consistently recognized for developing leaders and driving sustainable growth. Regina is deeply committed to leadership, community, and giving back. She is a founding member of the Legacy Executive Club, serves on the board of WECAN, and mentors women in sales and leadership through Factor 8's Girls Club. She also serves as a Baroness for the Braunfels Foundation Trust.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Sarah Morreau

Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Licensing & Procurement

Long View Systems

Sarah Morreau is Senior Vice President at Long View Systems, where she is leading a significant transformation in the North American IT channel. She has redefined the traditional VAR model by building a lifecycle-driven, intelligence-led advisory approach that integrates licensing, procurement, governance, cloud optimization, FinOps, and AI readiness into a unified customer experience.

Through her “Optimize to Innovate: The Value Lifecycle” philosophy, Sarah has shifted organizations away from transactional purchasing toward continuous optimization, enabling customers to reduce risk, unlock capital, and reinvest in innovation, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Under her leadership, Long View’s software and alliances business has evolved into a strategic growth engine influencing hundreds of millions in partner ecosystem revenue.

Sarah is widely recognized for transforming channel engagement into a governance- and outcomes-led model. She has strengthened strategic partnerships across software publishers, cloud providers, and distributors while positioning Long View as a trusted advisor in complex technology environments. Internally, she is known for mentoring high-performing teams and fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer-centricity, driving measurable results and lasting impact across the organization and broader channel ecosystem.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Kandyce Tripp

Managing Director, Global Business Group Lead – Accenture Cybersecurity Ecosystem Partners

Accenture Cybersecurity

I am a Managing Director at Accenture, where I serve as Business Group Lead for Accenture Ecosystem Partners within Accenture Security. I lead global channel and alliance strategy across our most strategic cybersecurity technology partners, aligning joint go-to-market execution to corporate growth, revenue, and market-share goals. Across more than two decades in the IT channel, I have built and scaled global alliance organizations at Accenture, IBM, and Palo Alto Networks, consistently turning partnerships into measurable business outcomes. I am a long-standing member of The Channel Company’s Women of the Channel Advisory Board and serve on the Executive Women’s Forum Advisory Board, where I advocate for women advancing into senior cybersecurity and channel leadership roles. I hold a degree from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and am based in Washington, D.C. I am passionate about mentorship, inclusive leadership, and developing the next generation of channel talent.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Heidi Van Ander

Vice President, Special Systems

ANM

Heidi Van Anderson is Vice President of Special Systems at ANM, where she leads complex technology initiatives, operational strategy, and cross-functional teams focused on delivering exceptional client outcomes. With more than 11 years of leadership experience and over a decade in the IT industry, Heidi has built a reputation for driving operational excellence, mentoring high-performing teams, and aligning technology delivery with business goals.

Prior to her current role, Heidi led ANM’s Consulting PMO, overseeing a multimillion-dollar project portfolio and a team of PMP-certified project managers supporting enterprise clients across a wide range of industries. Her expertise spans project delivery, client success, process improvement, IT governance, and strategic planning, with a strong focus on building scalable, people-first operations.

Beyond her leadership at ANM, Heidi is passionate about supporting women in technology and developing future leaders. She actively supports STEM and entrepreneurship programs, including SheTech, and mentors students pursuing careers in technology and business.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Caroline Wagner

Channels & Marketing Chief

Colossal

Caroline Wagner is the Director of Channels & Marketing at Colossal Contracting, where she leads strategic partner engagement, channel marketing initiatives, and go-to-market programs that strengthen relationships across the IT ecosystem. She is passionate about building collaborative partnerships, creating innovative marketing strategies, and helping partners and customers achieve shared success.

Over the past year, Caroline has played a pivotal role in expanding Colossal's channel presence by developing impactful partner programs, executing strategic events, and driving marketing initiatives that enhance partner engagement and business growth. Known for her collaborative leadership style, she is committed to mentoring others, fostering an inclusive culture, and creating opportunities for her colleagues and partners to succeed.

A graduate of The Catholic University of America, Caroline grew up in Annapolis, where she developed her strong sense of community and leadership. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and embracing new experiences. One of her favorite adventures was visiting Dubai, where she fulfilled a lifelong dream of swimming with sharks. Her curiosity, adventurous spirit, and dedication to building meaningful relationships make her an exceptional leader and a deserving candidate for CRN's Women of the Year recognition.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Kristy Wilke

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Davenport Group

Kristy Wilke joined Davenport Group in 2015 as an Account Executive covering the Midwest. She now serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, leading a growing nationwide sales team. Kristy's leadership is marked by her strong technical knowledge and experience, allowing her to build lasting partnerships with both customers and partners while advancing the sales team at one of the country’s fastest-growing IT solution firms. Her accomplishments have been consistently recognized by CRN, where she frequently appears on the Women of the Channel and Next-Gen Solution Provider Leaders lists. Before joining Davenport Group, Kristy held the position of President at Data Media Solutions, an Omaha-based reseller specializing in data center solutions for clients ranging from mid-market businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

Woman of the Year - Solution Provider

Amy Williams

Owner/CEO

PIER Group

Amy Williams is the Owner and CEO of PIER Group, where she has grown the company into a trusted partner in the IT channel by leading with authenticity, consistency, and a genuine commitment to people.

Her leadership is centered on connection — bringing partners together and building a culture where her team and customers feel supported and valued. Amy believes business is built on trust, and that belief shows in the long-standing relationships PIER Group has developed over time.

She is motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact, focused not just on growing a successful company, but on building a strong, supportive community.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Gabie Boko

Chief Marketing Officer

NetApp

Gabie Boko is a business trailblazer currently serving as CMO at NetApp, the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company. Boko draws on her deep experience as a business, marketing, and technology leader to help shape

NetApp's evolution as the leading intelligent data infrastructure company. A 25-year veteran in the tech industry, she is known for her work spearheading business transformations at high-impact companies like HPE, SAP, Sage, and Cognos.

Before her current role, Boko led NetApp's portfolio marketing organization. As a visionary business leader, she consistently prioritizes a customer-first mindset.

In addition to traditional marketing practices, she applies distinct strategies that anticipate future industry trends and adeptly navigate uncharted territories. This is driven by her belief that marketing is much more than promotion and branding; it is about driving high-impact outcomes and creating the right market for customer needs. She is committed to revolutionizing the role of marketing and amplifying its influence on business growth, strategy, and vision. Having grown up in the state of Alaska, she is a strong advocate for the protection of rural communities.

Previously, Boko served as global vice president of digital at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Johnna Bowley

Vice President, Global Partner Organization

Omnissa

Bowley is a highly accomplished channel executive with more than 30 years of experience designing and executing high-impact go-to-market strategies for some of the technology industry's most influential enterprise companies. Throughout her career, she has built and scaled global partner ecosystems, driving revenue growth, market expansion, and operational excellence across diverse routes to market.

As Vice President of the Global Partner Organization at Omnissa, Bowley leads the company's worldwide indirect sales strategy and partner vision. She is responsible for developing and strengthening relationships with value-added resellers, distributors, systems integrators, and managed service providers, while driving revenue acceleration, sales productivity, and business scalability through the partner ecosystem.

Prior to joining Omnissa, she served as the VP of Worldwide Partner Sales at Egnyte, where she successfully transformed the partner organization and significantly expanded partner-led revenue. Previous to Egnyte, Bowley held leadership roles at Rubrik overseeing the company's global partner program, channel strategy, and distribution business. Earlier in her career, Bowley held executive positions at Citrix, Riverbed, EMC, NetApp and HPE/Compaq, where she helped build and lead world-class channel sales teams.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Julia Chen

Vice President, AWS Specialists and Partner Core

Amazon Web Services

Julia joined AWS in June 2022 to lead the Core team for AWS Specialist and Partner Organization. Core defines AWS’s partner strategy, including the value exchange and implements scale mechanisms for delivering a simple, predictable, and profitable experience for our partners. These include: partner programs and contracts; strategic initiatives to build partner Go-To-Market capabilities around AWS Services; co-sell acceleration between partners and the AWS field; and designing the partner digital experience, in close collaboration with our Marketplace and Partner Engineering team.

Previously, Julia was VP of Global Partner Transformation at Cisco, where she helped partners deliver greater customer value through innovation and business outcome solutions across multiple routes to market.

Before Cisco, Julia was a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group, leading their Technology, Media & Telecommunications, and Operations practice. She also served as Recruiting Director, head of the Women's Initiative, and Head of Consulting & Business Services at BCG's Los Angeles office.

Julia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master's in Computer Engineering from Princeton University, and a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UCLA. In her spare time, Julia enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, running, swimming, cooking, playing piano, and reading.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Tara Fine

VP, Amercias Partner

Broadcom

Tara Fine, Vice President of Broadcom’s Americas Partner Sales, manages a complex partner ecosystem. With over 25 years of experience, she specializes in scaling revenue, optimizing go-to-market operations, and leading large-scale organizational transformations.

As Americas Channel Chief for VMware, Tara oversaw a $3B+ revenue plan, directing a 250+ person organization through a critical SaaS transition and a complex integration into Broadcom. She successfully executed this partner ecosystem integration, ensuring teams emerged stronger and more profitable.

During her 19-year tenure at Dell Technologies, Tara served as a catalyst for operational excellence. As Canada’s inaugural Channel Chief, she spearheaded the pivot to a hybrid go-to-market model. Her leadership also included managing North America mid-market Channels and launching Dell Canada’s operations in Hyderabad, consistently exceeding growth objectives.

Beyond her operational scope, Tara served as a key contributor to several of VMware’s internal leadership initiatives and is a founding board member of the Canadian Channel Chiefs Council (C4). A recognized industry thought leader, Tara has keynoted the Women of the Channel East conference and received consistent recognition, including the 2025 CRN Channel Chiefs "50 Most Influential" list, multiple "Women of the Channel Power 100" honors, and the 2024 Inclusive Channel Leader award.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Dani Foutz

Director, Channel Marketing

Epicor

Dani Foutz is a strategic channel sales leader who understands that while technology enables business transformation, strong partnerships drive lasting success. At Epicor, she works closely with partners to accelerate revenue growth, strengthen relationships, and deliver meaningful outcomes for customers.

Dani brings a well-rounded background spanning manufacturing, supply chain, and business operations. By combining deep operational knowledge with a partner-first mindset, she helps organizations navigate complex needs and increase customer value, solve real-world challenges with practical, targeted solutions, and build long-term relationships that benefit both partners and customers.

A collaborative leader, Dani is passionate about building high-performing teams rooted in trust, open communication, and mutual empowerment. As a dedicated mentor, she actively supports early-career professionals by sharing her experience, offering guidance, and encouraging them to pursue leadership opportunities. For Dani, mentorship goes beyond sharing knowledge, it is about building confidence, opening doors, and cultivating the next generation of leaders within Epicor and across the broader partner community.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Michelle Hoover

SVP, Global Alliances and Channels

Cloudera

Michelle Hoover is Cloudera’s Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Channels, bringing more than 25 years of experience in partner management, sales, and business development to the role. With a proven track record of scaling partner ecosystems and driving strategic alliances, Michelle is responsible for increasing revenue and spearheading the global partner strategy as a leader in enterprise data management.

Before joining Cloudera, Michelle held leadership roles at several prominent technology companies, including Confluent, Oracle, and Red Hat, where she successfully led cloud transformation within the channel and alliances programs. Her expertise includes driving transformational change in both cloud and new revenue routes to market, cultivating high-impact relationships with key partners, driving go-to-market strategies, and building innovative solutions that address complex customer needs.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Amy Kodl

SVP, Worldwide Alliances and Channels at Snowflake

Snowflake

Amy Kodl is the Senior Vice President, Worldwide Partners and Alliances for Snowflake. She brings 30 years of experience in the consulting and technology industries, focused on driving growth and expanding capability with Top GSIs/SIs, hyperscalers/Cloud Services Providers, ISVs and strategic technology partners. Amy has prior working experience from Salesforce leading the Americas Alliances organization, and in telecommunications & high tech at Accenture where she led large CRM transformation programs.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Anna Lawler

Vice President Global Partner Marketing

Dynatrace

As Vice President of Global Partner Marketing at Dynatrace, Anna Lawler is responsible for developing and executing the global partner marketing strategy. Her role encompasses marketing to, through, and with a broad ecosystem of partners, building commercial momentum and deepening engagement across the channel.

Anna joined Dynatrace in March 2024. Before this, she held EMEA and global marketing positions at VMware, Click, and Sage, with a focus on field and partner marketing. An experienced technology marketing executive, Anna has built and operationalized go-to-market strategies that boost brand awareness, generate revenue impact, and accelerate engagement at scale. She has a track record of building high-performing, diverse global teams, and she is passionate about delivering lasting value through the power of partnerships.

Anna is recognized as an award-winning marketer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Leeds, UK, as well as a Professional Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Anna is committed to mentoring women in technology. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys playing tennis and is a member of two clubs.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Denise Millard

Chief Partner Officer

Dell Technologies

Denise Millard serves as Chief Partner Officer at Dell Technologies. She is responsible for delivering the promise of Dell Technologies to customers, together with some of Dell’s most strategic partners and industry experts while leading Dell’s partner strategy and vision, enablement, program design and experience.

Dell Technologies’ partner ecosystem extends the reach of Dell’s capabilities by combining Dell’s essential technology with its partners’ unique technology and expertise to provide essential and innovative solutions to customers.

Millard’s passion for connecting with customers and enabling sales and partner organizations has been a constant throughout her 25+ year career. She previously held senior executive roles leading Sales Operations, Channel Sales, Learning and Enablement, Field Marketing, Sales Strategy and Professional Services.

Intensely committed to promoting the next generation of talent, Millard is a strong believer in mentorship and development. She is a long-standing contributor to Dell’s Women In Action Resource Group. Millard serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership.

Millard lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children. An avid fitness enthusiast, she can be found at her local CrossFit gym. She holds an MBA from Clark University and a BS in Business from Bryant University.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Jennifer Odess

Group Vice President, Americas Global Partnerships & Channels

ServiceNow

Jennifer “Jen” Odess is an established technology and partner ecosystem leader who currently serves as Group Vice President (GVP) of Americas Global Partnerships and Channels at ServiceNow. In this role, she leads the teams responsible for growing the Americas partner ecosystem and driving the customer outcomes that demonstrate what the ServiceNow AI Platform can deliver at scale.

Since joining ServiceNow in 2021, Jen has brought deep expertise in corporate strategy, customer success, and building high-performing partner organizations. She is known for her collaborative, people-first leadership style and for driving end-to-end improvements across the partner journey, from pre-sale readiness through delivery and long-term value realization.

Prior to ServiceNow, Jen built a 20+ year career spanning both the software and services sides of partnering. She has led and transformed alliances, channels, and customer-facing organizations across ISVs, GSIs, and boutique consultancies. She has founded, scaled, and exited her own services business, and held senior roles including Global Head of Business & Strategy at Appirio. Her career reflects a rare combination of strategic vision, operator instincts, and genuine passion for empowering the channel at scale, making her a trusted leader and influential force within the ServiceNow partner ecosystem.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Beata Reimer

Head of Global Ecosystem

Dayforce

As the Head of Global Partner Ecosystems at Dayforce, Beata Reimer leads the company's partner ecosystem worldwide, overseeing recruitment, onboarding, and performance across all regions and segments. Her focus is on building lasting relationships, driving demand through partners, and ensuring customer success.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Florence Sollo

Avaya US Channel Leader

Avaya

Flo anchors her career with passion and strategic vision in her role as Avaya’s US Channel Leader. Based in New Jersey, where she proudly lives and raised her family, she brings that same dedication and commitment to her career. Driven by relentless tenacity, Flo currently leads a high-performing channel team responsible for managing Avaya’s largest and most strategic channel partners across the United States. In this pivotal leadership role, she focuses on forging high-value relationships and consistently exceeding targets.

While she holds primary accountability for channel partner relationships today, Flo’s leadership is backed by a phenomenal track record. She initially sharpened her competitive edge locally in New Jersey, showcasing exceptional sales leadership by consistently exceeding quotas in direct sales and management within the UC, CC, and software industries. A strategic marketing rotation sparked her deep commitment to the channel community, leading to impactful roles supporting Channel Partners in the US.

After gaining invaluable perspective as a Sales Director for a channel partner, Flo seamlessly leveraged those insights to springboard back into Avaya Channel leadership with responsibility for the largest US Partners. Today, she uses that comprehensive expertise to inspire her team and drive continuous, high-impact success.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Jas Sood

President, Strategics Sales West

Palo Alto Networks

Jas Sood is a distinguished technology executive serving as the President of Strategic Sales at Palo Alto Networks. Since joining the company in 2021, she has been instrumental in architecting and driving its Enterprise and Healthcare Go to Market Sales, championing the platformization of cybersecurity tools to deliver unparalleled value, consolidation, and optimization for the largest global clients.

A veteran of high tech, Jas spent over 25 years at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and its predecessor companies in numerous multi-functional executive leadership roles before bringing her talents to Palo Alto Networks. Her deep expertise spans sales, finance, business operations, and product strategy, making her a versatile leader uniquely capable of navigating complex technical, financial, and commercial landscapes.

Widely recognized for her commitment to the tech ecosystem and channel partnerships, Jas has been honored as a "CRN Power 100 Woman of the Channel" for multiple consecutive years and was named Sales Executive of the Year in 2023. Beyond her executive role, she serves as an independent director on the board of Ondas Holdings Inc. She holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Nancy Sperry

Senior Vice President, Partner Sales

Sage

Nancy Sperry is a seasoned technology sales leader with over 25 years of experience in the ERP industry. Currently serving as the Vice President, US Partner Sales at Sage. She has a proven track record of accelerating partner growth and driving strategic initiatives. Her expertise in SaaS, sales management, and channel enablement has consistently delivered exceptional growth and innovation. At Intacct and Deltek, Nancy was pivotal in developing robust partner networks that significantly boosted revenue and market presence. Recognized by CRN as a Women of the Channel and Channel Chief in 2025, she is dedicated to empowering teams and fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration in the technology sector.

Woman of the Year - Enterprise Vendor or Distributor

Mary Beth Walker

VP & Head of Global Partner Experience and Enablement

HP Inc.

Mary Beth Walker is a seasoned sales executive with extensive experience in go-to-market (GTM) strategy and business planning. She leads HP’s Channel Strategy and Enablement organization, responsible for more than 80% of the company’s total revenue. In this role, she has end-to-end responsibility of HP’s partner experience, including strategy, enablement, and operations, empowering both the company and its partners worldwide.

During her tenure, Mary Beth has been instrumental in creating and expanding the HP Amplify Partner Program, introduced in 2021. The program includes HP Amplify Impact, HP Amplify Online, HP Amplify Data Insights and HP Amplify AI, many of which are award winning, pioneering initiatives within the technology industry.

She continues to drive the company forward as a recognized leader in channel programs and strategies. With the introduction of HP Amplify AI, she supports and educates Amplify partners, empowering them to become trusted advisors in an increasingly complex AI environment.

Mary Beth has held several global GTM executive roles in strategy, sales operations, and professional services at HP and Sun Microsystems. She has been recognized as a thought leader in the technology channel space and for supporting women in technology.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Brittney Ames

Head of Strategic Alliances

Elisity

Brittney Ames is a sales strategy and go-to-market leader with progressive experience building strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships across the world's largest cloud and technology providers. She has a proven track record of opening new routes-to-market, leading cross-functional teams through adoption of new sales strategies, and creating revenue streams that contribute significant economic value.

As Elisity's Head of Strategic Alliances, Brittney leads the company's partner ecosystem to accelerate revenue, expand market share, and extend Elisity's reach into the manufacturing, industrial, and healthcare verticals where identity-based microsegmentation is becoming a board-level priority. In her first year, she launched the Elisity Global Partner Program, built around the pillars "Simple. Profitable. Predictable.," and has positioned Elisity as a partner-led company at a defining moment of growth.

Prior to Elisity, Brittney held leadership positions at Cohesity, where she led Cloud GTM, and VMware, where she served as Director of Business Development & Operations for Hyperscaler Partnerships and Chief of Staff. Earlier in her career at Aviatrix, she built the Cloud GTM strategy and operations function. Brittney holds a B.A. from Wheaton College and an M.A. from Penn State University.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Jennifer Axt

Senior Vice President of North America Government

Tanium

Jennifer Axt is Tanium’s Senior Vice President of North America Government, where she leads U.S. state and local government, education and Canada public sector initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience in public sector technology, she is recognized as a trusted advisor to government leaders, partners and technology decision-makers who drive innovation, growth and collaboration across the channel ecosystem.

Throughout her career, Axt has held leadership roles at Fortune 100 technology companies, including Dell Technologies, EMC and CA Technologies. There she developed strategic partnerships, high-impact sales initiatives and government-focused programs that strengthened relationships between technology providers and public sector organizations.

Axt is a respected industry advocate and community leader. She serves as president and co-founder of GovTAP, a national organization that promotes collaboration among public sector technology leaders, alliance partners and vendors to advance innovation and improve government services. She has contributed her expertise through leadership and advisory roles with organizations including NASCIO, NASPO ValuePoint, CompTIA and ITAPS.

Her leadership and impact have earned industry recognition, including the 2023 StateScoop 50 Industry Leadership of the Year Award, recognition on CRN’s Women of the Channel list and selection as a 2025 StateScoop Top 50 Woman in Technology recipient.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Larissa Crandall

Global Vice President of Channel and Alliances

1Password

Larissa Crandall is the Global Vice President of Channels and Alliances at 1Password, where she leads the company’s global partner ecosystem and drives strategic growth through partner-first alliances. With over 25 years of experience in the channel, Larissa has built and scaled high-performing partner organizations that accelerate revenue and deliver meaningful business outcomes.

Before 1Password, Larissa held senior leadership roles at New Relic, Veeam Software, and Gigamon, consistently expanding global partner engagement and delivering measurable growth. Her career began at Connection, a solution provider, where she led sales teams and developed an understanding of partner needs – this continues to inform her channel-first approach and ability to build trusted, lasting relationships.

Larissa has implemented global frameworks that increase partner engagement, attract new partnerships, and drive incremental demand and growth. She’s known for her collaborative leadership style, empowering teams to take risks, lead with purpose, and grow.

Larissa actively supports women in technology, having developed mentorship and certification programs to create pathways for women into engineering roles, and speaks frequently at industry events about channel transformation, leadership, and personal development. In the industry, Larissa is known for her vision, influence, integrity, and deep commitment to empowering people and partners to succeed.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Jenna Dennis

Channel Director

Dropzone AI

Jenna Dennis is the Western Channel Leader at Dropzone AI, where she drives strategic partnerships and channel growth across the western United States. With more than a decade of experience in cybersecurity channel leadership, Jenna has built a reputation for helping partners navigate complex security challenges while creating meaningful business outcomes for customers.

Prior to joining Dropzone AI, Jenna served as the West Channel Director at Semperis, leading partner engagement and go to market initiatives focused on identity and resilience. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with solution providers, distributors, MSSPs, and technology alliances to accelerate growth and strengthen the partner ecosystems.

As a proud girl mom in a blended family of six daughters, Jenna is passionate about helping create a future where more women see themselves as leaders in technology and cybersecurity. She is a strong advocate for mentorship, representation, and opening doors for the next generation of women entering the industry.

Based in Southern California, Jenna brings a relationship first approach to leadership, helping partners and customers confidently embrace innovation in an ever evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Jennifer Dimas

Chief Marketing and Experience Officer

Telarus

Jen has spent her career in B2B technology growth marketing and is passionate about the alignment of the customer and the organization for the best outcomes. As a data-driven leader, Jen loves to leverage the latest methods and technologies for bottom-line impact. At Telarus, Jen is responsible for brand, demand, product, marketing operations, learning & development, customer marketing functions, and the voice of the advisor/customer.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Addie Finch

Sales Executive of the Year

Cato Networks

Addie Finch is a 15-plus-year channel vet who enjoys helping build channel organizations and go-to-market strategies from the earliest stages. She transitioned from a media & communications background into the tech world by first joining what is now TD SYNNEX.

Addie’s eight years at TD SYNNEX exposed her to dozens of networking, security and UC vendors and hundreds of reseller partners. Her growing skills were deployed widely, from writing vendor launch programs to recruiting new vendor partners and eventually leading teams of business development and product management personnel.

Addie then joined Tufin – first as a channel account manager, and eventually as the Americas channel leader – followed by ReliaQuest, where she led them to becoming a channel-only organization.

At Cato Networks, Addie and her teams are responsible for the strategic growth of the company’s resellers, integrators, managed service providers, distributors and trusted advisor partners.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Michelle Hodges

Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances

Barracuda Networks

As Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances, Michelle Hodges oversees Barracuda's partner ecosystem, driving growth and deepening engagement across the company's vast network of MSPs, resellers and distributors.

Prior to joining Barracuda, Hodges served as Senior Vice President of Global Channels and Alliances at Ivanti. Recognized globally as a leader in driving partner transformations, she has held senior roles in channel and alliance strategy at GitLab, Gigamon, Riverbed, Apptio, Intel, VMware, and Microsoft. Hodges has been frequently recognized as a CRN Channel Chief, honored three times as one of CRN's Power 100 Women of the Channel, and acknowledged as a Channel Futures Influencer and a Top Cybersecurity Leader, among other accolades.

She holds a Master of Business Administration in International Management and a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from Monterey Institute of International Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and Philosophy from Whittier College.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Barb Huelskamp

Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances

SolarWinds

Barb Huelskamp is the Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances at SolarWinds, where she leads strategies, programs, and teams aimed at driving growth and value through strategic partnerships. With over 25 years of leadership experience in global channel strategies and sales, Huelskamp has held key roles at Qualys, Alteryx, AWS, and Polycom. Her accomplishments include creating and optimizing partner programs and go-to-market strategies, activating global partner ecosystems for joint growth, implementing new hyperscaler strategies, and driving channel-led pipeline creation and sales. Huelskamp has served as a board member for CRN’s Women of the Channel and mentors emerging professionals through various initiatives. Her impact has been recognized through several industry honors, including CRN’s Channel Chief, Women of the Channel, and Women in IT Security awards.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Beth Johnson

Principal, Strategic Partnerships and Alliances

Veracode

Beth Johnson brings 20 years of experience spanning sales, channel, alliances, and project management, on both the vendor and partner side of the table. At Veracode, she leads the company's go-to-market strategy across hyperscaler, technology alliance, and technology solutions distributor (TSD) channels, translating that dual-sided perspective into measurable revenue growth. She's known for turning complexity into execution, with a reputation for precision and disciplined follow-through. Beyond Veracode, she writes and speaks on partnerships in the cybersecurity industry under The Security Edge.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Breanna Kuhl

VP, Strategic Partnerships & Channels, AMER

Talkdesk

Breanna (Bre) Kuhl is a senior partner ecosystem leader with more than two decades of experience building and scaling channel and alliance programs across the cloud, telecom, and customer experience technology sectors. As Vice President of Partner Ecosystems for Americas at Talkdesk, Bre leads strategic partnerships across Technology Services Distributors (TSDs), strategic alliances, and industry partners, helping drive partner-led growth and ecosystem expansion across the Americas.

She focuses on aligning partners with Talkdesk’s Customer Experience Automation (CXA) strategy, enabling partners to deliver AI-driven contact center transformation for enterprise and mid-market organizations. Bre is passionate about building high-performing partner programs, developing scalable go-to-market strategies, and strengthening collaboration between technology platforms and the broader partner ecosystem.

She is widely respected in the partner community for her deep industry expertise and long-standing relationships across cloud partners, strategic alliances, technology distributors, and trusted advisors.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Yvonne Patterson

Vice President Channel Sales

Hyperion Partners

Yvonne Patterson is a highly respected executive leader with deep expertise in telecommunications and technology. As Vice President of Channel Sales at Hyperion Partners, she has driven innovative, vertical-based strategies and built award-winning sales teams, consistently advocating for partner success and delivering measurable growth.

With over two decades of experience — including 24 years at Sprint in leadership roles across long-distance, wireline/data, and mobility — Yvonne brings a forward-looking vision to the creation of new revenue streams and the evolution of channel organizations. Her background also includes leadership roles at 7Signal and PageNet, further cementing her as a strategic force in the industry.

Yvonne holds a BS with honors in Management from the University of Phoenix. Outside of work, she is a dedicated mentor to emerging leaders, a passionate sports fan, and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Julie Peoples

Chief Customer Officer

Telarus

Julie Peoples is a transformative customer-experience executive whose decisive leadership and innovative mindset have quickly made her a standout in the channel. As Chief Customer Officer at Telarus, she draws on 20+ years supporting independent financial advisors to redefine the partner experience, bringing modern, loyalty-driven service strategies to the channel.

Julie's core philosophy is simple: high-performing teams deliver exceptional service, earn trust, and gain lasting competitive advantage. This belief fueled her achievements in wealth management, where she built award-winning service models that deepened advisor loyalty and shifted market share. Now, she brings that same focus to Telarus, raising the bar for operational excellence and advisor experience across its global ecosystem.

In her first year at Telarus, Julie drove meaningful change. She established the Telarus Center of Excellence, introduced a quality assurance framework, improved training and change management, and championed a people-first service model blending technology with genuine human expertise.

Under her leadership, Telarus has achieved double-digit improvements in key advisor-facing metrics—including a 60% reduction in commission case cycle time, a 23% improvement in pricing turnaround, a 13% acceleration in deal registration, and a 113% boost in commission inquiry responsiveness—even as overall volume increased.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Dawn Ringstaff

VP Partner Experience and International Channels & Alliances

Dataminr

Dawn brings over two decades of experience in the technology and security industries, having held key roles at SonicWall, Dell, Kaspersky, Oracle, and Cloudflare, as well as several startups. She has a proven track record of developing channel programs that drive partner growth, enhance sales, and strengthen technical capabilities. Dawn has successfully led sales teams to achieve significant revenue growth through robust networks of solution providers and distributors.

As Dataminr’s VP of Global Channels, Dawn leverages her expertise to spearhead the company’s channel-first strategy. She is responsible for creating a world-class partner ecosystem across diverse industries and routes-to-market, while developing systems and resources that empower partners to thrive, as well as managing our partner business in both APAC and EMEA.

Dawn’s passion lies in transforming partnerships through collaboration. Her deep understanding of partner businesses and challenges enables her to design programs that enhance partner profitability and productivity.

A recognized industry leader, Dawn is a multi-time Channel Chief and Women of the Channel honoree. She has been named a Power 100 Female Leader four times and was the inaugural recipient of the CRN Woman of the Year – Channel Innovator award in 2023.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Laurelle Roseman

VP of Global Partnerships

Nebius

As Global VP of Partnerships at Nebius, Laurelle Roseman leads the company's full partner organization across North America, EMEA, and APJ — spanning NVIDIA strategic alignment, global distributors like TD SYNNEX, VARs, GSIs, and a growing portfolio of AI-native ISVs and technology alliances. Her focus is on building the partner ecosystem that positions Nebius as the go-to AI infrastructure platform for enterprises, ISVs, and the channel. This year, she's driving the programs and co-sell motions that make partner-sourced pipeline a significant engine of Nebius' global growth. Before Nebius, she built Vultr's channel business from the ground up, establishing its global partner strategy and international reach through MSPs — giving her a builder's instinct for what actually scales. She brings that same approach to Nebius: designing routes to market where partners, customers, and the broader AI ecosystem all win together.

Woman of the Year - Growth Vendor or Distributor

Erin Skoch

VP of Channel and Alliances

Techmate

As VP of Channels and Alliances at Techmate, Erin Skoch has played a pivotal role in establishing and shaping the company's channel strategy during a critical stage of growth. With more than 20 years of experience in the technology channel, Erin is recognized as a trusted relationship builder, mentor, and advocate for partner success.

Over the past year, Erin has led the development of Techmate's channel and alliance framework from the ground up, transforming a limited partner presence into a growing ecosystem of engaged strategic relationships. Through her focus on partner enablement, collaboration, and long-term value creation, she has helped generate awareness and engagement among nearly 100 partners while positioning Techmate as a trusted resource for organizations seeking scalable IT support solutions.

Erin's leadership extends beyond business growth. She is passionate about fostering meaningful partnerships, mentoring emerging professionals, and creating opportunities for others to succeed. Her ability to bring people together, build trust, and align shared goals has made a lasting impact on partners, customers, and colleagues alike.

Through her strategic vision, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to elevating the channel community, Erin exemplifies the qualities celebrated by CRN's Woman of the Year award.