San Diego TTA 2026 Winners - Top Tech Awards

WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT THE

2025 SAN DIEGO TOP TECH AWARD WINNERS

LUIS RANKINS-IBARRA
EDUCATION AWARD WINNER

Luis Rankins-Ibarra’s twelve years as Superintendent of Escondido Union School District has been spent positioning the district as a model for technology and innovation. His “infinite-minded” focus in preparing students for the future through technological integration, has resulted in the districtwide initiative, Framework for the Future, which brings STEM learning and modern instructional practices into the classroom.

Reimagining how teaching and learning occur in a rapidly changing digital world, Framework for the Future incorporates coding, digital design, and interactive learning tools into students’ curriculums. The model also encourages personalized pathways and flexible learning environments, and can accommodate exploration into deeper academic dives.

And through Luis Rankins-Ibarra’s steadfast oversight, it is accessible, despite any economic or language barriers, to all 14000 EUSD K-through-8 students, building their confidence, while preparing them academically, socially and emotionally.

MICHAEL MANRIQUEZ
GOVERNMENT AWARD WINNER

Director of Information Technology for the City of Solana Beach, Michael Manriquez leads citywide technology strategy, overseeing cybersecurity, infrastructure, cloud systems and IT service delivery.

His contributions to modernizing municipal technology has led to a number of significant improvements, not the least of which is a 99.99% uptime across essential systems, a 40% reduction in security incidents, an 80% reduction in system vulnerabilities, and a 30-plus-percent reduction in operating costs.

And for Michael Manriquez, who can translate complex technology into practical outcomes, it doesn’t end there. His ability to communicate clearly, and willingness to assume accountability make him a unique instrument of trust – one who can and does bring technical and non-technical stakeholders together for the benefit of the City of Solana Beach’s more than 12,000 residents.

JUSTIN APGER
NONPROFIT AWARD WINNER

As Chief Operating officer and EVP of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Justin Apger has effectively re-framed technology from “just another overhead expense” to a strategic enabler. He did so by ably implementing a proactive cybersecurity model rooted in governance, vendor accountability, and clear performance standards.

His approach – outsourcing technology and cybersecurity functions to trusted, best-in-class partners, to not only align directly with operational priorities and fiduciary responsibilities, but to elevate cybersecurity maturity across the organization, help optimize scalability and reliability, and materially strengthen DSDP’s risk posture. All this while delivering uninterrupted services to the city.

What’s more, Justin Apger’s outsourcing model has already set standards for how mission-driven organizations, especially those lacking in IT depth, can effectively, responsibly, and strategically manage technology at scale.

BRYANT ARTEAGA
HOSPITALITY & ENTERTAINMENT AWARD WINNER

Bryant Arteaga is an executive technology leadership committee of one. Serving SDFC as Vice President of Cybersecurity and Technology, he’s responsible for the soccer franchise’s technology strategy, cybersecurity, data governance and enterprise risk. He’s also responsible for the club’s Right to Dream Academy, dedicated to developing young soccer talent on and off the pitch.

His approach as a strategic enabler of growth and trust is credited with SDFCs confident launch and scale. Embedding identity-first architecture, layered cybersecurity defenses, and disciplined governance into the organization’s core, he’s ensured the club can avoid costly remediation, reduce long-term risk, and safeguard operational continuity as it expands.

But exceeding his visionary, disciplined and principled leadership approach is Bryant Arteaga’s most defining quality – his ability to apply technological transformation in a human-centric manner.

ELI LIPSKY
HEALTHCARE & BIOTECH AWARD WINNER

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer for Clinically AI, Eli Lipsky redesigns what is possible. His proprietary architecture, a model-agnostic A-I engine, purpose-built for behavioral health, does what no others in the medical space can – continually evaluate and deploy the world’s best-performing AI models on a task-by-task basis. The differentiation future-proofs the platform, enabling Clinically AI to avoid rebuilds as models evolve.

And not at the cost of patient health. Through Eli’s pairing of technical innovation and clinical rigor, his AI model reads a patient’s full longitudinal care history, whether structured or unstructured, before generating any documentation – an industry-first capability that fundamentally improves clinical accuracy, and returns 60-80% of clinicians’ time back to patient care.

What’s more, under Eli Lipsky’s ethical leadership, Clinically AI is now a full clinical intelligence platform featuring compliance auditing and lifecycle tools that deliver measurable financial impact to its users.

EMILY O’CARROLL
CYBERSECURITY AWARD WINNER

Field Chief Information Officer at cybersecurity solutions provider, GuidePoint Security, Emily O’Carroll advises more that 30 entities across cybersecurity strategy, governance, risk, and compliance. From strategic advisory and technical oversight to hands-on support, she helps organizations strengthen their security posture, modernize their programs, and align cybersecurity with their business objectives

Her technical vision and exceptional ability to build trust and relationships are superseded only by Emily’s defining strength – that of a strategic connector bridging gaps between security, business leadership and technology teams. Together, her strengths have directly contributed to increased client retention, accelerated sales cycles, and stronger pipeline growth.

Described as representing a modern standard for cybersecurity leadership, Emily O’Carroll’s impact as a strategic thinker, trusted advisor and business enabler continues to be both far-reaching and profound.

SHANNON FITZPATRICK
COMMUNITY AWARD WINNER

In her dual roles at Microsoft, that of Senior Healthcare Partner Development Manager, and Americas Disability Inclusion Network Lead, Shannon Fitzpatrick demonstrates that technology paired with intentional leadership can drive both profitability and meaningful community impact.

From a profitability standpoint, her ability to develop and manage complex partnerships across health systems, payers, and digital health organizations is resulting in higher adoption rates of Microsoft technologies, and Shannon’s structuring of strategic agreements is accelerating digital transformation across healthcare ecosystems. In a nutshell, she’s positioning Microsoft as a trusted partner in healthcare innovation.

And as Microsoft’s Lead for the Americas Disability Inclusion Network, Shannon Fitzpatrick’s work is centered around creating more inclusive systems, and more equitable outcomes. She’s making tremendous headway bridging connections between employees with disabilities and leaders across the organization, increasing access to career guidance, sponsorship and leadership pathways.

JOSEPH MAKOL
INNOVATION AWARD WINNER

Joseph Makol is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of defense technology company, Citadel Defense. He is also the technical architect behind the Citadel’s TITAN Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) platform – an AI and machine-learning-driven solution to detect, identify, track, and mitigate unauthorized or hostile drones.

Deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense, and advanced beyond traditional, rule-based or library-independent counter-drone systems, TITAN autonomously analyzes radio-frequency signals, recognizes previously unseen drone protocols, and adapts to emerging threats in real time.

Under Joseph Makol’s leadership, the platform also features a non-disruptive mitigation approach, designed to neutralize drone threats while minimizing interference with surrounding Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth communications – a capability that allows TITAN to operate effectively in complex and signal-dense environments including, but not limited to airports, military installations and critical infrastructure sites.

MICHAEL HARPER
START-UP AWARD WINNER

When Information Technology Manager Michael Harper joined Mainstay Medical in 2023, the start-up had no internal IT department or meaningful technology strategy. Support was only available by an outside provider focused on maintaining basic operational functionality, and the firm’s 104 employees relied on legacy on-premise servers and a partially implemented MS 365 platform.

But in just three years, by harnessing his skills honed as an infrastructure architect and 30-plus year cybersecurity leader (including 10 years as a law firm CISO), Michael has transitioned Mainstay away from legacy on-premise infrastructure toward a secure cloud-centered operating model.

It is there, where the company’s global staff of 245 now operates within a highly impenetrable, more efficient global IT environment, devoid of unnecessary third-party tools, and supported by an internally led department, developed and managed by Michael Harper.

MICHELLE MARTINEZ
SMALL-PRIVATE BUSINESS AWARD WINNER

PenChecks’ Director of Operations, Michelle Martinez understands that making life easier for the institutions the firm serves necessitates operating itself, as efficiently as possible. Her implementation of technology aligns with that belief, playing a critical role in providing operational efficiencies, reducing cost, and improving the customers’ experience.

Michelle’s tenacious efforts to secure a spot on the Salesforce “Agentforce Beta Customer List” enabled PenChecks to leverage artificial intelligence tools. Her guidance in bringing those AI tools to life in a manner both practical and meaningful for employees, demonstrates her leadership style and support for internal teams.

Known for her ability to recognize both the technical and operational sides of business, and to execute complex initiatives that lead to measurable impact, Michelle Martinez is evolving PenChecks into a modern financial technology organization.

ADAM DEICH
LARGE-PRIVATE BUSINESS AWARD WINNER

Director of Information Technology for Helix Environmental Planning, Adam Deich is modernizing the environmental consulting and design firm’s technology strategy with a clear focus on leveraging AI and data to drive operational efficiency and long-term growth.

Upon establishing an internal AI committee to define responsible, forward-looking policy, he’s led the launch of several targeted AI initiatives, including the migration of more than 9 terabytes of unstructured historical project data into a platform designed for quick and efficient AI accessibility.

Adam Deich has also led the technical integration of a newly acquired palaeontology division, and bolstered Helix’s overall cybersecurity posture, resulting in a 15% reduction of cyber insurance costs. His highly adaptive, people-centric approach is grounded in accountability and curiosity, providing ideal conditions for fast adoption and results.

PAUL VASQUEZ
PUBLIC BUSINESS AWARD WINNER

As Director of Information Technology for OEM-designed components provider, Zenix Aerospace, Paul Vasquez demonstrates his mastery of cybersecurity and compliance frameworks through certification, adherence to standards, and strong strategic planning in the modernization and fortification of the company’s technical infrastructure.

Paul’s proactive approach to advanced threat-protection has involved consolidating a two-site network into a single unified domain; establishing a “Zero Trust” architecture through modern authentication mechanisms; installing a new, state-of-the-art video surveillance system across two Southern California facilities; and relocating Senior Aerospace’s Cox Network Backbone Main Internet Point of Entry.

His leadership resulting in a 40% migration of cybersecurity risks, savings in excess of $1M, and a tenfold increase in network backbone speed, Paul Vasquez prefers to share any and all success with his team, using it as a tool to guide their development and ensure their future success.

MOLLY HE
TOP TECH OF THE YEAR

Molly He is the CEO of Element Biosciences and the leading force behind the development and commercialization of the AVITI™ Sequencing Platform, a breakthrough, next-gen system that offers exceptional genetic sequencing accuracy at dramatically lower operating costs.

An achievement with profound implications for research, clinical diagnostics, agriculture and multi-omics innovation, Molly’s ability to translate deep scientific expertise into scalable technology challenges long-standing industry practices and expands global access to high-quality sequencing.

It’s a game-changer in the field of genomics. And with more than 160 placements and adoption across 20-plus countries, AVITI’s launch is fueling rapid growth for Element, which now engages hundreds of employees and has secured nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars to accelerate innovation – All a result of Molly He’s scientific and technical mastery, motivating and empowering leadership, and collaborative, mission driven standard.