ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO, chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, announced the winners of its 2025 ORBIE® Awards. The Awards honor exceptional technology executives who have demonstrated excellence in innovation, leadership, and business impact.
CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO recognized outstanding leaders across eight categories: Global, Large Enterprise, Enterprise, Large Corporate, Corporate, Healthcare, Public Sector, & Leadership. The Awards were presented at the Florida ORBIE Awards at Signia by Hilton Bonnet Creek.
“Great CIOs understand how transformation is driven by both innovation and meaningful connections,” said Shawn Harrs, CentralFloridaCIO Chair.
“The ORBIE® Awards recognize CIOs who are making an impact through leadership excellence. The awards finalists and winners highlight the excellence and vision that are transforming Florida’s economy.” said Craig Pichanick, NorthFloridaCIO Chair.
The 2025 Florida ORBIE Award winners are:
›› Manish Kothari, CIO of Publix Employees Federal Credit Union, received the Leadership ORBIE.
›› Darlene Williams, Global SVP & CIO of Rocket Software, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multinational operations.
›› Rob Spellman, CIO of Leidos QTC Health Services, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $550 million annual revenue.
›› Ryan Colbert, CIO of Morgan & Morgan, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $550 million annual revenue.
›› Christos Ruci, CIO of Limbach, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $400 million annual revenue.
›› Doug Saunders, CIO of Arctic Glacier, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $400 million annual revenue.
›› Ana Kalman, SVP, CIO/Chief Applications Office & Medical Center COO of Lakeland Regional Health Systems, Inc., received the Healthcare ORBIE for hospitals and healthcare organizations.
›› Andrea Hartman, CIO of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, received the Public Sector ORBIE for government and nonprofit organizations.
The ORBIE® is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Since 1998, the ORBIE Awards have recognized leadership excellence, building relationships between executives and trusted business partners, and inspiring the next generation of executives. Finalists and winners are selected through an independent peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE recipients based on the following criteria:
›› Leadership and management effectiveness
›› Business value created by technology innovation
›› Engagement in industry and community endeavors
The Florida ORBIE Awards keynote was delivered by Manish Kothari, CIO of Publix Employees Federal Credit Union, who was interviewed by Dale Johnston, Global CIO & Managing Director of PGIM Real Estate Inc. Over 250 guests attended, representing leading Central and North Florida organizations and their technology partners.
The following sponsors made the 2025 Florida ORBIE Awards possible:
›› Underwriters: Google Cloud, KANINI, ProSource IT, & Tential Solutions
›› Gold sponsors: Fortinet, Makai Labs, & Surya Technologies
›› Silver sponsors: Integris Group & NewEra Hybrid Pathways
›› Bronze sponsors: Between Pixels, Ensono, Juniper Networks, LTIMindtree, Pelican XC, Pure Storage, & Viking Cloud
›› Media Partner: Orlando Business Journal
›› National Partner: Year Up United
›› About CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO
CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO are the preeminent peer leadership networks for chief information officers (CIOs) in Central and North Florida. As two of over 40 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO are part of a national membership organization that is exclusively made up of CIOs from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO are led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives play a crucial role in ensuring programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CIOs and members.
›› About Inspire Leadership Network
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent executive peer leadership network of C-suite technology and security leaders. With over 1,700 members across more than 40 local chapters, Inspire members serve public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and non-profit institutions. Inspire exists to help leaders thrive in today’s most challenging executive roles.
Media Contact
Lexi Baltes
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