A Look Back At The 2019 Women In Tech Winners

by Kalyn Stockman

So you’ve seen the photos. Heard the buzz. Maybe you are interested in learning more about last year’s Women In Tech award winners. Maybe you are even interested in nominating yourself or a peer for the 2020 WIT awards.

This blog will highlight the 2019 Women In Tech Winners and provide information about this year’s award nominations.

2019 Women In Tech Awards

This past December, nearly 200 people gathered at Aragon Research’s annual award ceremony recognizing Innovator, Hot Vendor, and… you guessed it, Women In Tech awards. Nine Women won a 2019 Women In Technology award, each in a different category. Let’s take a look at those winners:

Analyst Relations: Virginia Davis-Lee

Virginia (“Ginny”) is the Director of Global Industry Analyst Relations at Avaya. She has had immense impact on the development of Avaya’s global marketing and corporate strategy. She is known to lead by example. She dedicates much of her time to mentoring others, including summer interns, children, and women in technology.

Chief Executive Officer: Bernadette Nixon

Bernadette, CEO at Alfresco, won the 2019 WIT award for Chief Executive Officer. She is an accomplished leader that has made a great impact on the technology industry through her work at Alfresco and beyond. She encourages others to step into challenging situations and not to shy away from opportunities. 

Chief Information Officer: Joan Pepin

Joan, VP of Operations at Auth0 and winner of the 2019 WIT award for CIO, is an influential leader in the cybersecurity industry. She is very vocal about the need for inclusion and diversity in the workplace, and encourages mentorship for women building their careers in the technology industry.

Chief Operating Officer: Nicole Alvino

Nicole, winner of the COO WIT award in 2019, is an entrepreneur and founder that currently works as the Chief Strategy Officer at SocialChorus. She loves inspiring change and innovation in the workplace, and is committed to supporting the personal development of her peers as well as women empowerment. 

Legal: Elaine Foreman

Elaine won the 2019 WIT award for the ‘legal’ category. She serves as VP Real Estate and General Counsel at Topia. Elaine is admired for demonstrating that it is entirely possible to be both a successful mother and executive. She has contributed significantly to Topia’s growth, and encourages diversity and mentorship in the workplace. 

Marketing: Lisa Hurd Walker

Lisa, VP Brand & Corporate Marketing at Fuze, was our WIT winner for Marketing in 2019. She is known by her peers to be engaged, empathetic, and always willing to offer support to others. She is dedicated to establishing a true sense of work-life balance in the workplace. She also excels in thought leadership and creative content.

Operations: Lorrissa Horton

Lorrissa Horton is the VP and General Manager at Cisco. She won our 2019 WIT award for Operations. She has brought tremendous results and growth to her company while also working to encourage work-life balance. She is known for her passion for giving back and motivating others to do the same. 

Public Relations: Elise Harrington

Elise works at Nintex as the Corporate Communications Manager. She won the 2019 WIT award for PR. She is very positive and quite the role model in her workplace. She is a driving force in her company’s global marketing, major event coordination, and public relations initiatives. She also enjoys supporting local businesses and helping people in need in her community.

Sales: Michelle Balash

Michelle, Large Enterprise National Sales Leader at IBM, was our 2019 WIT winner in the Sales category. She is a generous and dedicated leader and is known to have enhanced the careers of those around her. She has a passion for transforming HR and talent management in the workplace. 

2020 Nominations Are Open

In all, the Women In Tech award reflects the achievements of women who have demonstrated outstanding personal and professional growth, and have significantly contributed to the technology industry. We are excited to continue this tradition and nominate our 2020 WIT winners. We are looking for women that are a role model, contributor to the business, innovator, and one that gives back to her community.

We look forward to working with our 2019 winners to select a new group of winners for 2020. 

The 2020 Women In Tech Award categories include:

• Analyst Relations
• CEO
• CIO
• COO/Operations
• Chief People Officer/HR Leader
• Legal
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Sales

To nominate yourself or your peer for a WIT award, visit this page for more information. The deadline for 2020 WIT nominations is March 31, 2020.