AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 Central Texas ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information officers (CIOs) from for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by CentralTexasCIO, one of over 50 Inspire Leadership Network chapters, the prestigious award honors CIOs who drive business transformation and industry impact. View finalists, partners, and more on the Digital ORBIE Feature.
This exclusive event brought together top executives and industry leaders from Central Texas. The morning honored excellence in technology leadership across six award categories at the JW Marriott Austin.
“Behind every technology innovation is a CIO leading the vision and shaping the strategy,” said Kevin Harwood, CentralTexasCIO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards are the ultimate recognition program for the leaders behind the work.”
Meet the 2026 Central Texas ORBIE Award Winners:
- Ehren Powell, Chief Digital Officer, Marathon Petroleum, received the Leadership ORBIE.
- Cynthia Carbrey, CIO Global, Kautex Textron, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $2.5 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations.
- Linda Albornoz, Senior EVP and CIO, Frost Bank, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $2 billion annual revenue.
- Vivek Sagi, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Bumble Inc., received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $800 million annual revenue.
- Kevin Harwood, CTO, Tecovas, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $350 million annual revenue.
- GS Jha, Global CIO and CISO, QuantumScape Inc., 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 leaders. 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
Central Texas ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote address for the Central Texas ORBIE Awards was delivered by Ehren Powell, Chief Digital Officer, Marathon Petroleum, who was interviewed by Lou Senko, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Q2. Over 250 guests attended, representing leading Central Texas organizations and their technology partners.
The following partners made the 2026 Central Texas ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Rimini Street and SBase Technologies
- Gold Partners: Comcast Business, Sutherland Global, and Velocity
- Silver Partners: Adastra, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Myriad360, EPAM NEORIS, SHI International, Spectrum Business/Ring Central, and Waterloo Data
- Bronze Partners: Between Pixels, Coforge, Darwinbox, Everforth Quinnox, HotelKey, Sonata Software, and Tech Mahindra
- Media Partner: Austin 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 CentralTexaxCIO:
CentralTexasCIO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information officers (CIOs) in Central Texas. As one of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CentralTexasCIO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CentralTexasCIO is led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain member-led 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 over 50 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
nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9475a1e9-3f75-473b-bb2e-0cabc33cddd5
