Get ready to celebrate and honor the brightest tech stars in the Southern Piedmont region at our awards banquet!
Join us on Thursday, November 20 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research for a night of celebration and recognition. This in-person event will honor the brightest minds in technology across the Southern Piedmont region. Come network with industry leaders, enjoy a delicious dinner, and applaud the winners of these prestigious awards. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow tech enthusiasts and celebrate the achievements of our technology stars! Our keynote speaker will be Raisha Cobb.
About Our 2025 Keynote Speaker:
Raisha Cobb is the Associate Provost for Information Resources and Chief Information Officer at Winston-Salem State University. She works collaboratively with university senior administrators, faculty, and staff to stabilize and enhance the institution’s network and infrastructure, increase the use of digital technology to automate and streamline processes, expand the use of the service request platform to other student service campus departments, and negotiate favorable contract terms and pricing for student success services and applications.
Previously, Mrs. Cobb served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer in the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at WSSU from January 2016 to September 2019. In this role, she developed and implemented an information security program to include policies, procedures, and standards. She worked collaboratively with the OIT team to develop security guidelines and safe practices for university-wide computing and networking systems relating to technology acquisition, implementation, and operation. Additionally, she worked to implement service level agreements on IT service requests that include monitoring and response requirements and deficiency reporting and streamlined and automated the Banner Enterprise Resource Planning System and ancillary application access request process.
Mrs. Cobb’s extensive experience includes five years of service as the Assistant Information Security Officer at the University of Texas at Arlington as well as 11 years of service to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where the success of Space Shuttle missions and the survival of astronauts depended upon the performance of critical systems entrusted to her team. She received the NASA Appreciation Award for outstanding support to Kennedy Space Center amid hurricanes, the United Space Alliance (USA) Employee of the Month for Teamwork for the Information Management Backup System Upgrade Team, and the USA Superior Achievement Recognition Award (SARA) for Post Hurricane Ike Data Center Recovery. She is well respected among her peers across the UNC System, and she is actively engaged in national Information Technology professional organizations.
Award Categories
Chairman’s Award
The Chairman’s Award is our most prestigious award. It is awarded to an individual or organization that has shown visionary leadership to promote technology in the Southern Piedmont region. This award is nominated by the SPTC board.
Innovation in Technology – Small business (50 employees or less)
The Innovation in Technology Small Business Award is awarded to a company with 50 employees or less that demonstrates excellence in technological innovation.
Innovation in Technology – Large business (Above 50 employees)
The Innovation in Technology Large Business Award is awarded to a company with above 50 employees that demonstrates excellence in technological innovation.
Innovation in Education, Government or Community Outreach
The Innovation in Education, Government or Community Outreach award is awarded to an organization that develops innovative uses of technology to promote and enhance educational opportunities, governmental excellence, community outreach or displays innovative use of technology to deliver services, advance their mission, or impact the community.
Innovation in Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurial Innovation Honor is awarded to an entrepreneurial company* that demonstrates excellence in technological innovation.
Rising Star
The Rising Star Award is awarded to an individual with a new idea or initiative, or a new business that has made a significant impact on the region utilizing or enabling technology.
Student Innovator
The Student Innovation Awards is awarded to a high school or full-time college student that has shown leadership in technology. High school student must attend a school in SPTC service region. College students must be from the SPTC service region.
*Entrepreneurial company = in business for 1-3 years
2024 Winners
Mid-Atlantic Broadband – Chairman’s Award
Southern Virginia Higher Education Center’s IT Academy – Innovation in Education, Government, and Community Outreach Award
Kegerreis Digital Marketing – Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award
Maxcess – Innovation in Technology – Small Business Award
PenBay Technology Group – Innovation in Technology – Large Business Award
Christie Hart – Rising Star Award
Pittsylvania County Schools Career & Technical Center – Cyber Systems Technology Students – Student Innovator Award
Thank you to our 2025 Banquet Sponsors
