GTIA honours 2026 North America IT channel leaders
The Global Technology Industry Association has named winners across 10 categories in its 2026 North America Spotlight Awards, recognising community leadership, cybersecurity, diversity, and innovation in the IT channel.
The awards were presented during the GTIA North America Community & Councils Forum in Chicago. The annual event brings together IT service providers, distributors, technology vendors, and other technology business services firms to discuss managed services, cybersecurity, technology talent and diversity, and emerging technologies.
The awards recognise individuals and member companies for contributions to the GTIA community and the wider IT channel.
"The GTIA Spotlight Awards honor the remarkable individuals whose contributions have made a lasting impact on both the GTIA Community and the broader IT channel," said MJ Shoer, chief community officer at GTIA.
"What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that our winners are chosen by their peers from around the world, which is a true testament to their leadership, commitment, and embodiment of GTIA's mission. We're proud to congratulate the 2026 North America GTIA Spotlight Award winners and celebrate their exceptional achievements," Shoer said.
Individual honours
Five individuals were recognised in the North America Spotlight Awards.
Brook Lee, senior director of community at Rev.io, received the Community Leadership Award for initiatives aimed at strengthening and growing the GTIA community.
Crystal Conkle, CMO of The 20, won the Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award, and was recognised as an advocate and role model for women in technology.
The Advisory Council Leadership Award went to Corey Kirkendoll, president and CEO at 5K Technical Services, for work on AI adoption and cross-council collaboration, as well as efforts to amplify the GTIA brand.
Nett Lynch, CISO at Kraft Kennedy, received the Cybersecurity Leadership Award for leadership, collaboration, and innovation.
Ola Witukiewicz, director of community engagement at Pax8, received the Future Leader Award for her ideas and leadership qualities.
Company winners
Five member companies were also recognised.
Rewst received the Innovative Vendor Award for community-led innovation and educational initiatives, including RoboRewsty AI and Cluck University.
Sentry Technology Solutions won the IT Service Provider Award for its proprietary Technology Maturity Model, "location in a box" strategy, and approach to AI implementation.
STACK Cybersecurity received the Advancing Diversity in Technology Leadership Award for advocating diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for its impact on people's lives and careers.
TD Synnex won the Innovative Distributor Award. Recognition cited the Digital Bridge AI Assistant and the Destination AI programme for innovation and results in AI practice development.
The CanIT Collective received the Associate Member Award for broad, sustained contributions across North America.
Judging process
A judging panel assessed nominees based on their positive impact on the IT channel, alignment with GTIA's mission, and leadership demonstrated within each category.
Judges included executive council members from GTIA communities outside North America, with representatives from the UK & Ireland, Benelux, DACH, ANZ, and ASEAN communities. The process was designed to remain fair, objective, and transparent.
GTIA describes itself as a vendor-neutral, non-profit membership community for the worldwide IT channel, working with IT service providers, vendors, distributors, and other companies delivering services and products through the channel.
It says it represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from more than 2,400 organisations, and provides members with resources, networking opportunities, and support for industry standards.
GTIA plans to continue running regional community and council forums, alongside awards programmes that highlight individual and company contributions in the IT channel.