ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 2026 Florida ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information officers (CIOs) from CSI Companies, BNY, Florida State University, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Sky Zone, and Children’s Home Society of Florida. Hosted by CentralFloridaCIO and NorthFloridaCIO, two of over 50 Inspire Leadership Network chapters, the prestigious award honors CIOs who drive business transformation and industry impact.
This exclusive event brought together top executives and industry leaders from Central and North Florida. The morning honored excellence in technology leadership across six award categories at The Conrad Orlando.
“Great CIOs understand how transformation is driven by both innovation and meaningful connections,” said Christos Ruci, 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 Lisa Cochran, NorthFloridaCIO Chair.
Meet the 2026 Florida ORBIE Award Winners:
Melissa Fulmore Hardwick, CIO, CSI Companies, received the Leadership ORBIE.
Sabet Elias, CTO, BNY, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1.4 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
Jonathan Fozard, Associate VP & CIO, Florida State University, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $2.5 billion annual revenue.
Pamela Ramhofer, CIO, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue.
Joe Tenczar, CIO, Sky Zone, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $350 million annual revenue.
Marcus Johnson, CIO, Children’s Home Society of Florida, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $350 million annual revenue.
About the ORBIE:
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
Florida ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote address for the Florida ORBIE Awards was delivered by Melissa Fulmore Hardwick, CIO, CSI Companies, who was interviewed by Ashlyn Freeman, Assistant Public Defender, Office of the Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit. Nearly 200 guests attended, representing leading Central and North Florida organizations and their technology partners.
The following partners made the 2026 Florida ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Rimini Street, Tential Solutions, & T-Mobile
- Gold Partners: BMC Software, Cisco Systems, Comcast Business, & Presidio
- Silver Partners: AHEAD, Crown Castle, Dell Technologies, Palo Alto Networks, & Tanium
- Bronze Partners: AffinityX, Between Pixels, iMethods, Integris Group, & Salesforce
- Media Partner: Orlando Business Journal
- Nonprofit Partner: Year Up United
To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.
About CentralFloridaCIO & NorthFloridaCIO:
CentralFloridaCIO and NorthFloridaCIO are the preeminent peer leadership networks of chief information officers (CIOs) in Central and North Florida. As two of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CentralFloridaCIO and NorthFloridaCIO belong to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CentralFloridaCIO and NorthFloridaCIO are led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CIOs and members.
About Inspire Leadership Network:
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With over 2,000 members across more than 50 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
Nicole Lammes
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/21ccc572-9473-4f19-b74d-498db722f71f
