The Texas Diversity Council is pleased to announce the 2017 Distinguished Chief Information Officer award winners. This award will be formally presented to the esteemed honorees on February 21, 2017 at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Austin, Texas.

“The 2017 Distinguished Chief Information Officer award honors a diverse range of executive leaders of the highest caliber,” said Dennis Kennedy, Founder and Chairman of the National Diversity Council. “Our team takes great pride in honoring this group of accomplished men and women that continue to push innovation in business and beyond.”

Selection for this distinction was based on each individual’s contributions to business growth and strategic direction, proven record of innovation and accomplishments in their area of expertise, and their ability to serve as an active role model by mentoring the next generation of professionals in their industry. Each awardee stands atop their field in several industries such as technology, health care, oil & gas, financial services, government and retail. The wide range of industries represented in this group of distinguished executives speaks to the distinctive importance their role plays in the new corporate arena.

The National CIO Symposium will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a networking reception allowing attendees the opportunity to network and mingle with key influencers in the information technology field. Following the reception, the Distinguished Chief Information Officers will be announced at the 7:00 p.m. awards dinner. Please visit our Top 50 CIOs site to see the full list of awardees.

Registration for this event is ongoing and can be completed at www.top50cio.com/2017/tx/

2017 Top 50 CIOs

Amy Suhl, Shell
Andy Bynum, AMD
Angela Yochem, Rent-A-Center
Archie Deskus, Baker Hughes
Arleene Porterfield, National Instruments
Carol Clements, Pizza Hut US
Chris Hanz, Houston Astros
David Doyle, Brinker International
Ed Robben, Fossil
Ellen Barker, Texas Instruments
Giseala Riggan, Prosperity Bank
Jake Dominguez, FMC Technologies
Jason Buechel, Whole Foods
Jeffrey Kao, McKesson Specialty Health
Jennifer Hartsock, GE Oil & Gas
Joan Kuehl, Elevate Credit
John Thomson, KBR
John Varkey, Direct Energy
Ken Barnes, Omni Hotels & Resorts
Ken Braud, Halliburton
Kristen Blum, Frito Lay
Lisa Gauthier, Rowan Companies
Lori Kittle, Landry’s
Mark Huse, Kinder Morgan
Mark Maddox, Apache
Maya Leibman, American Airlines
Melinda Costin, JPS Health Group
Michael Cooper, GameStop
Michael Rhymes, Gates Corporation
Myra Davis, Texas Children’s Hospital
Neelu Sethi, ReddyIce
Noel Wong, XO Communications
Pamela McNutt, Methodist Health System
Peggy Collsman, Chevron Phillips
Randy Sloan, Southwest Airlines
Ray Ann Cacheria, Ryan
Robert Taylor, Flour
Rohan Pal, The Brink’s Company
Rohit Kapoor, Pizza Hut International
Ryan Neading, Rackspace
Sandeep Bhakhri, EOG Resources
Sara Andrews, PepsiCo
Stephen Elkins, City of Austin
Steve Brady, Dresser Rand
Suja Chandrasekaran, Kimberly Clark
Tammy Gilbert, Trinity Industries
Therace Risch, J.C. Penny
Tim Platt, Toyota Motor North America
Wayne Shurts, Sysco
Zhanna Golodryga, Hess