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Cloud Girls Rising Awards Honor 6 Women to Watch in Next-Gen Technology
Baker City Herald | Local News, Sports & Community in Baker County, OR
Apr. 15, 2026 at 11:06pm
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The Cloud Girls Rising Awards celebrate the visionary women driving innovation in cloud and next-generation technology, inspiring the next generation of female tech leaders.Las Vegas TodayCloud 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 awards recognize women in technology who are driving initiatives to educate, inspire and elevate women and girls in technology.
Why it matters
The Cloud Girls Rising Awards support the organization's vision to inspire and empower women as thought leaders in the evolving cloud and next-gen technology space. They also support Cloud Girls' mission to raise the collective voice and visibility of women in tech, which is important for promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the male-dominated tech industry.
The details
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 — one Visionary, two Trailblazers and three Rising Stars.
- The 11th annual Cloud Girls Rising: Women to Watch Awards ceremony took place on April 15, 2026 at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.
The players
Rachel Turkus
CEO of Cloud Girls and Director of Marketing at Packet Fusion.
Lori MacVittie
Distinguished Engineer at F5, winner of the Visionary award.
Janice Little
Senior Vice President of Engineering & Data Science at SheerID, winner of the Trailblazer award.
Roopa Sunder Raj
Principal Architect II at Spectrum, winner of the Trailblazer award.
Ananta Bhatt
Software Engineering Manager at Moneris, winner of the Rising Star award.
Amirtha Saminathan
Senior Software Engineer at Lowes, winner of the Rising Star award.
Diana Vicezar
Product Manager at Microsoft, winner of the Rising Star award.
What they’re saying
“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.”
— Rachel Turkus, CEO of Cloud Girls and Director of Marketing at Packet Fusion
“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.”
— Rachel Turkus, CEO of Cloud Girls and Director of Marketing at Packet Fusion
The takeaway
The Cloud Girls Rising Awards highlight the important role that women are playing in shaping the future of cloud and next-generation technology. By recognizing visionary leaders, trailblazers, and rising stars, the awards help to inspire more women to pursue careers in the tech industry and demonstrate the significant contributions that women are making.
