Cloud Girls, a not-for-profit community for women in next-gen technology, announced the winners of the 11th annual Cloud Girls Rising: Women to Watch Awards during an awards ceremony at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo 2026 in Las Vegas.
The Cloud Girls Rising Awards recognize women in technology who are driving initiatives to educate, inspire and elevate women and girls in technology. The awards honor women who have demonstrated innovation, thought leadership and proactive solution development in the cloud and next-gen technology space in 2025, inspiring more women to step forward and follow their example.
This year’s awards were given to six women, including one Visionary, two Trailblazers and three Rising Stars.
“The winners of the 2026 Cloud Girls Rising: Women to Watch Awards are truly extraordinary women whose talent, vision and impact stood out in a remarkable field of applicants,” said Rachel Turkus, CEO of Cloud Girls and Director of Marketing at Packet Fusion. “These are leaders delivering meaningful results inside their companies, shaping the future of next-generation technology and raising the bar for what excellence looks like. As Cloud Girls marks the 11th year of these awards, we’re proud to celebrate women who are leading by example and showing what is possible when expertise and determination come together.”
2026 Cloud Girls Rising: Women to Watch Award Winners
Visionary
- Lori MacVittie, Distinguished Engineer, F5
The Visionary award celebrates female leaders who have demonstrated innovation in recognizing where the cloud and next-gen tech market is headed and are leading the ecosystem toward that vision. Visionaries are groundbreakers who are willing to take risks based on strategic insight into what’s possible.
Trailblazers
- Janice Little, Senior Vice President of Engineering & Data Science, SheerID
- Roopa Sunder Raj, Principal Architect II, Spectrum
The Trailblazer award honors seasoned female technology veterans who are paving the way for their organizations, customers and industry in advancing cloud and next-generation technology solutions. They are recognized as role models and mentors to colleagues and others at work and in their community.
Rising Stars
- Ananta Bhatt, Software Engineering Manager, Moneris
- Amirtha Saminathan, Senior Software Engineer, Lowes
- Diana Vicezar, Product Manager, Microsoft
The Rising Star award recognizes female up-and-comers in the cloud and next-generation technology community who have shown initiative in advancing cloud and next-generation technology solutions for their organizations, customers and the industry.
