RECOGNIZE EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMERS + RISING STARS: MEET THE WINNERS!(NEXT TECH AWARDS)

• Author: Ellis, Kevin

Business North Carolina collaborated with NC TECH to create the Next Tech Award to recognize North Carolina's rising stars in our state's tech and tech-enabled companies. The award is meant to spotlight those individuals who often work in the trenches of an organization, and who keep pushing projects and objectives forward.

Supervisors and colleagues submitted nominations for the inaugural awards and a selection committee picked 10 winners in one of three categories: tech and innovation, tech professional and sales and marketing. The winners solve problems at work, make teams better and contribute in ways that are not a formal part of the job description.

These 30 profiles of the winners share typically what these individuals do at their jobs, their motivations, those who inspire them, advice on how to succeed in tech as well as their passions outside the office. In many cases, those efforts outside work help others or advance a worthy cause, such as encouraging more women to seek job opportunities in technology.

TECH + INNOVATION

JAMES ALBERQUE GIS, emerging technologies manager | City of Raleigh Raleigh

Alberque's involvement in geographic information system (GIS) technology dates back to working with the city of Boston while a student at Framingham State University, where he earned a degree in geography. He joined the city of Raleigh 10 years ago and continued his work in the online mapping and property data field. He has created strong relationships across city departments and other local governments, while driving access to technology to help manage economic growth and provide better customer service.

Influence: My team is exceptionally talented and always willing to share knowledge and enthusiasm.

Success in tech: Curiosity and passion

What others say: "(Jim's) expertise in technology has helped position the city as a technology leader. I often joke about his tendency to 'nerd out' on technology, but it really isn't the technology that excites him, but the technology's potential to impact the city's work to make staff more efficient and ultimately provide better services to residents," says Beth Stagner, assistant director of IT.

Outside work: My wife and I enjoy watching our three children participate in sports and other activities.

MIKE ALBRITTON

senior vice president, cloud | CData Software Durham

Albritton executes CData's cloud application and product strategy, which provides self-service data connectivity solutions for access to live data from hundreds of on-premises and cloud applications. Users rely on the Chapel Hill-based company to enable advanced analytics, boost cloud adoption, streamline operations, and create a more connected business. Albritton has a computer science degree from UNC Chapel Hill and an MBA from Duke University.

Influence: Gent Hilo taught me a lot about building customer-focused products. He taught me how to make a product successful in the marketplace through careful attention to detail, explaining the value to customers, and how to price and sell the product.

Success in tech: Tech is an industry that changes rapidly, and in order to stay current, you must strive to be a lifelong learner and really enjoy what you're doing. I learn something new every day, which is part of what makes this job very exciting.

What others say: "Mike is responsible for driving our cloud strategy and vision. Mike's expertise in data technology made him central to the development of our latest product, which impressed our clients with its innovative features and functionality," says Manish Patel, chief product officer at CData.

Outside work: Events like Spartan races and GoRuck challenges as well as golf, wakeboarding and spending time with my family. GoRuck challenges are team events based on military Special Forces training.

JAMIE HOWARD

VP engineering | Allstacks Raleigh

Howard spent four years in the Army before finishing his computer science degree at N.C. State University. He shifted from wanting to make video games to helping businesses and people achieve goals. "I've yet to find anything more professionally satisfying than helping a team come together to be more than the sum of its parts, and seeing how that experience changes people forever," says Howard. Allstacks uses machine learning and Al models across data to improve software development outcomes.

Influence: "My experience leading soldiers in combat taught me more about the value and mechanics of teams than I thought possible to know. As a result, everything I do is centered around building trust to enable great teams," says Howard.

Success in tech: The most important character trait is curiosity. Whether it's about people or tools or business, a desire to know more is eternally valuable.

What others say: "From Jamie's career in the military through his leadership roles at software companies, his career is marked by learning and practicing leadership. After he left the service, he developed his technical skills, and has been combining those with a desire to build and lead great teams to this day," says Allstacks founder Jeremy Freeman.

Outside work: Playing board games with my family, disc golf and video games.

MANNY LANDRON

VP cloud security | Aligned Technology Group Raleigh

Landron is his company's information security leader and adviser with expertise in building, securing and monitoring applications and platforms. He has a business administration degree from Campbell University and a master of information technology with a concentration in cyber security from Virginia Tech.

Influence: John Zemonek, managing director of Raleigh-based Aligned Technology Group, has been instrumental in creating an environment that fosters innovation and autonomy, allowing me the freedom to explore new ideas and take risks. His openness to honest communication creates a sense of trust, and I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and concerns without fear of repercussions. John's unwavering support for both me and the entire team is truly commendable, as he always has our best interests at heart.

Success in tech: The ability to think rationally, organize people, and communicate up, down, left, and right will always set you apart.

What others say: "Manny's commitment to the technology community and our clients has made him a critical piece of the success of our team. His lead from the front mentality and focus has enabled our organization," says Zemonek.

Outside work: Spend time with family, play the violin and hike local trails.

MARTIN KEEN

master inventor | IBM Cary

With more than 350 issued patents, Keen is a co-recipient of the 2023 IBM Carolinas Inventor of the Year award. He is a regular presenter on the IBM Technology YouTube channel, covering topics like Al and data science, amassing more than 1.5 million views. His engaging approach transforms complex IT topics into digestible content. He manages the technical training team, creating digital and classroom courses that support IBM systems. He has a computer studies degree from Southampton Solent University in the United Kingdom.

Influence: Anybody who can take complex technical topics and explain them simply and clearly. To me, that is true mastery in understanding.

Success in tech: Engage with people through your deliverables and communications, and collaborate with domain experts.

What others say: "Our RTP site, while not an IBM Research center, has historically contributed around 12% of those patents each year. Consistently, Martin has been our most prolific producer of those patents coming out of RTP, serving as an inspiration to young inventors at our site. Martin is a joy to work with, always willing to help with tasks above and beyond his job role, especially within our IBM RTP community," says Tim Humphrey, chief analytics officer, RTP site and N.C. state executive.

Outside work: Keen homebrewed 99 different beer styles in 99 weeks, and documented his products in a weekly YouTube series.

ADA LOPEZ

software development, engineering, security, product management, user experience | Lenovo Durham

A former middle and high school science teacher, Lopez has been with Lenovo since 2021. She previously worked for Cisco and SAS Institute. She is responsible for the daily operations of Lenovo's Diversity by Design Process, which aims to make products more inclusive, including for the disabled. "By including individuals from different backgrounds, varying abilities, and unique minds in decision-making, we accelerate human advancement," says Lopez. She serves on the advisory commission of the N.C. State Museum of Natural Science, as a...