TechPoint, the growth accelerator for Indiana’s tech ecosystem, has announced the Tech 25 Class of 2020.
Now in its sixth year, the Tech 25 Awards honor a prestigious selection of twenty-five individuals who are critical and exceptional performers helping to grow Indiana’s tech and tech-enabled companies, but who—not being the CEO or other top executive—don’t get celebrated publicly as often.
A panel of 18 independent judges, including past winners and tech community leaders, selected this year’s class from three main job role categories: tech product/R&D, tech sales & marketing, and tech professional services. Winners were chosen from a very competitive class of nominees based on criteria including professional contributions, energy and attitude, and community commitment.
Poppe Guthrie, Senior Interaction Designer at SEP, has been named a 2020 winner.
“I love the Tech 25 program because it helps this community see the depth of great people working in Indy tech,” said Raman Ohri, SEP’s President & CEO. “Poppe does so much for the community – the design community, local causes, and even small businesses with Indy Coffee Box. She’s had a big impact on our work and our clients, helping us level up our practice and helping our clients deliver better products. She brings energy, joy, and creativity to everything she touches.”
Different than many awards, individuals cannot apply or nominate themselves. Tech 25 candidates must be nominated by the executives at their companies, and a company can only put forth one nominee, making for a remarkable and competitive class of candidates.
**The Tech 25 Class of 2020 is as follows:**
Tech Product/R&D Category (14)
- Michael Akers, Mission Assurance Engineer – Software, Raytheon Technologies (Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind., College: Purdue University – Fort Wayne)
- Alexander J. Correa, Manager, Product and Technology, Codelicious (Hometown: Crown Point, Ind., College: Butler University)
- Casey Cumbow, Engineering Manager, Lessonly (Hometown: Columbus, Ohio, College: Ohio State University)
- Christine DeWeese, Sr. Director, Product Management, Salesforce (Hometown: Batesville, Ind., College: Indiana University Bloomington)
- Anita Donnelly, Director of Technical Services, SmarterHQ (Hometown: St. Louis, Mo., College: Northern Kentucky University)
- Gwendolyn Faraday, Software Consultant, Faraday Academy (Hometown: Boston, Mass., College: Boston University)
- Poppe Guthrie, Sr. Interaction Designer, SEP (Hometown: Linton, Ind., College: Purdue University – undergrad; Indiana University Bloomington – masters)
- Charlie Haddad, Sr. Advisor, Digital Health, Eli Lilly and Company (Hometown: Oxford, Ohio, College: Miami University)
- Mike Horrocks, Vice President, Product Management, Baker Hill (Hometown: Carmel, Ind., College: Brigham Young University – undergrad; Indiana University MBA)
- Jonathan Hubartt, Vice President of Design & Product, High Alpha (Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind., College: Indiana University)
- Dan LaBar, Sr. Data Scientist, KSM Consulting (Hometown: Zionsville, Ind., College: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)
- John F. Matlik, Engineering Digital Transformation Lead, Rolls-Royce Corporation (Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind., College: Purdue University)
- Ninad Thanawala, Analyst, Roche (Hometown: Fishers, Ind., College: Cornell University)
- Gary Todd, IT Senior Developer, Republic Airways (Hometown: Dayton, Nev., College: University of Nevada Reno)
Tech Professional Services Category (5)
- Meghann Arnold, Director of Team Success, One Click (Hometown: Noblesville, Ind., College: WGU Indiana)
- Jennifer Lynn Benak, IT Project Manager, Scrum Master, Agile Coach, NCAA (Hometown: Tipton, Ind., College: Purdue University and Ball State University)
- Christopher Hicks, Practice Manager Kronos Incorporated (Hometown: Chicago, Ill., College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- David Rainbolt, Sr. Director Infrastructure and Disaster Recovery, OneAmerica (Hometown: Avon, Ind., College: IUPUI and WGU Indiana)
- Geoff Zentz, Indiana Director, gener8tor (Hometown: Goshen, Ind., College: Franklin College)
Tech Sales and Marketing Category (6)
- Eva Jackson, Director, Demand Generation Marketing, PFL (Hometown: Batesville, Ind., College: Anderson University)
- Andy Kennedy, Principal Brand Strategist, Innovatemap (Hometown: Muncie, Ind., College: Anderson University)
- Lukau Matuka, Director, Global Sales Development Training & Enablement, Genesys (Hometown: Muncie, Ind., College: Ball State University – undergrad; Anderson University – MBA)
- Matt Renie, Solution Consultant, Zylo (Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind., College: Indiana University Bloomington)
- Brennan Walker, Director of Digital Strategy & Solutions Consulting, DemandJump (Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif., College: Butler University)
- Rachel Yockey, Vice President of Experience, Realync (Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind., College: Marian University)
Full biographies and photos of the Tech 25 Class of 2020 are available on TechPoint.org.
