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2026 CIO of The Year Finalists Announced!

The Pittsburgh Technology Council and our partners at the Greater Pittsburgh CIO Group are excited to announce an exciting evolution of the annual CIO of the Year Awards!

This year, we are expanding the program to recognize not only individual CIOs and CISOs, but also the outstanding achievements of their teams and the collective impact they’ve made in the world of technology.

The newly reimagined CIO of the Year & Tech Titan Awards will honor a broader range of categories, celebrating the innovation, collaboration, and transformative accomplishments of tech professionals across all levels. From visionary executives to talented practitioners, we’ll shine a spotlight on the remarkable contributions shaping Pittsburgh’s thriving tech landscape.

2026 CIO of the Tear and Tech Titan Awards Finalists

CIO OF THE YEAR-TERABYTE       

  • Jason Gerard, The Pittsburgh Paints Company
  • Akash Khurana, Wesco International
  • Charaka Kithulegoda, PNC Bank
  • Todd Porterfield, PJDick - Trumbull - The Lindy Group

CIO OF THE YEAR-GIGABYTE        

  • John Astfalk, S&B USA
  • Bryan Bishop, Pyrotecnico / Live Events
  • Steve Blossom, ACA Group
  • Deepak Nayyar, Allegheny County Airport Authority
  • David Reed, Maxim Crane Works

CISO OF THE YEAR 

  • Robert Kemp, Federated Hermes
  • John Shaffer, Core Natural Resources, Inc.
  • Michael Tallent, Duquesne Light Company

CTO OF THE YEAR  

  • Christian Carmody, UPMC
  • Scott Phelps, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Carlonda Reilly Ph.D., Kennametal Inc
  • Sean Ways, eHealth Technologies

TECH TRAILBLAZER

  • Andrew Beers, Dream Invent Inspire, Inc.
  • Colin Dean, Code & Supply Co.
  • Stefinie Kelley, Wabtec Corporation
  • Suresh Natarajan, FedEx

TECH TEAM OF THE YEAR 

  • David Christopher, Brentwood Bank
  • Anmol Misra, Gecko Robotics
  • Deepak Nayyar, Allegheny County Airport Authority
  • Bhaskar Ramachandran, PPG
  • David Reed, Maxim Crane Works

RISING STAR

  • Ryan DiAngelo, Brentwood Bank
  • Brandon Diethorn, FedEx
  • Seth Graham, University of Pittsburgh
  • Stephen Solada, Armada
  • Adam Weitzel, enGen (Highmark)
  • Peter Zuidema, OpenArc LLC

TECH FOR THE GOOD-COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD    

  • Lou Camerlengo, fivestar*
  • Kelsey Derringer, CodeJoy
  • Scott Dietz, Catalyst Connection
  • Jacqueline Foor, Consortium for Public Education
  • Aaron McKinnon, Phase 4 Learning Center
  • Andre Samuel, Ph.D., The Citizen Science Lab
  • Terry Smith, M-PowerHouse of Greater Pittsburgh

Event Registration Here

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