Cyber Security
2026 Dallasciso ORBIE Awards Recognize Top Security Executives
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Leading CISOs honored for leadership, enterprise security, and business impact
DALLAS, Feb. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 DallasCISO ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information security officers (CISOs) from Alcon, Infor, Sammons Financial Group, National Veterinary Associates, DFW International Airport, MRO Corp & Okta for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by DallasCISO, a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network, the prestigious awards honor CISOs who drive business transformation and industry impact.
Held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, the ceremony brought together top executives and industry leaders to honor excellence in security leadership across seven award categories.
“Behind every successful cybersecurity strategy is a CISO leading the vision,” said Ian Schneller, DallasCISO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards are the ultimate recognition program for the leaders behind the work.”
Meet the 2026 DallasCISO ORBIE Award Winners:
Steve Williams, SVP & CTO, Okta, received the Leadership ORBIE.
Derek Morton, CISO, Alcon, received the Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $10 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
Mignona Cote, SVP, Chief Security Officer, Infor, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
Paul Mocarski, CISO & VP IT Infrastructure, Sammons Financial Group, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $6.5 billion annual revenue.
Sonja Hammond, CISO & VP, IT Architecture & Engineering, National Veterinary Associates, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1.5 billion annual revenue.
Eric Bowerman, AVP Cybersecurity, DFW International Airport, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $900 million annual revenue.
Richard Weiss, CISO, MRO Corp, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $900 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 executives. 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 protection created by enterprise security
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
DallasCISO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote address for the DallasCISO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Ian Schneller, DallasCISO Member, & Ron Banks, CISO of Toyota Financial Services. Over 250 guests attended, representing leading North Texas organizations and their technology partners.
The following partners made the 2026 DallasCISO ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Google Cloud, Halcyon & Lumen
- Gold Partners: Armis, DigiCert, Fortinet, Tata Consultancy Services & Zscaler
- Silver Partners: BlackLake Security, Cloudflare, Pala Alto Networks & Tanium
- Bronze Partners: 7AI, Between Pixels, Datasec, EY, Island & MixMode
- Media Partner: Dallas 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 DallasCISO:
DallasCISO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information security officers (CISOs) in North Texas. As one of over 40 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, DallasCISO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
DallasCISO is led by a CISO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CISOs and members.
About Inspire Leadership Network:
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With nearly 2,000 members across more than 40 local 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/8e1d99ce-5528-4752-91a8-c420f71d0c07
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the DallasCISO ORBIE Awards?
The ORBIE Awards are a prestigious executive recognition program honoring leading Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who drive business transformation and industry impact through their leadership in cybersecurity. They have recognized leadership excellence since 1998.
Who were some of the key winners at the 2026 DallasCISO ORBIE Awards?
Key winners included Steve Williams (Okta) for the Leadership ORBIE, Derek Morton (Alcon) for the Super Global ORBIE, Mignona Cote (Infor) for the Global ORBIE, Paul Mocarski (Sammons Financial Group) for the Large Enterprise ORBIE, among others.
What is DallasCISO?
DallasCISO is the preeminent peer leadership network of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in North Texas. As a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network, it belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders.
First published on Tue, Mar 3, 2026
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