47 Inspiring Connecticut STEM Leaders Selected as 2026 Women of Innovation® Finalists

Forty-seven accomplished Connecticut women will be honored for their achievements in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the Connecticut Technology Council’s 21^st annual Women of Innovation^® awards.

These inspiring leaders were selected from a field of 100 nominations. Nominees include scientists, researchers, academics, manufacturers, student leaders, entrepreneurs, and technicians who are driving scientific advancement and business growth throughout Connecticut.

The prestigious awards ceremony recognizing this outstanding group and announcing the winners in nine categories will be held on Tuesday, October 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Woodwinds in Branford. All finalists will be recognized at the ceremony. Youth finalists (high school juniors or seniors) will receive scholarships to further their education and career.

“Congratulations to our 2026 Women of Innovation honorees! For 21 years, this program has celebrated the incredible women whose ideas, leadership, and achievements are shaping Connecticut's innovation community,” said Milena Stankova Erwin, CTC’s Executive Director. “We’re proud to continue this tradition and look forward to recognizing the inspiring impact these women are making across Connecticut and beyond”

Held annually since 2005, the Women of Innovation^® program has created a vibrant community of women and girls in STEM, passionate about making an impact, mentoring, leading, and sharing their expertise with those pursuing career development and growth. It is one of the largest networks of women in technology, science and engineering in Connecticut.

The 21^st annual Women of Innovation^® awards event – always an exciting and inspiring evening - will include networking with technology and business leaders from across the state, as well as the official announcement of the category award winners.

All nominees had to meet the following minimum requirements: currently working or studying in Connecticut, demonstrated strong leadership abilities, and serving as a mentor - either short or long-term, peer, career or life mentor. Nominees also met the specific requirements of the award category in which they were nominated.

“Over the many years that I have attended the Women of Innovation event, I have always been very impressed by the contributions these outstanding women, including this 2026 WOI group, continue to make in the many fields of technology and to the betterment of our world,” said Giovanni Tomasi, President/Chief Technology Officer of RSL Fiber Systems and Board Chair of CTC. “Their talent, inspirational leadership, and dedication are exemplary of the academic and business excellence of our State.”

The 2026 Women of Innovation^® awards event is sponsored by Medtronic (Platinum); Axinn LLP (Silver); Arvinas, Inc. (Bronze); Comcast Business (Bronze); McCarter & English, LLP (Bronze); Otis Elevator Company (Bronze); and Carillon Technologies (Award and Scholarship). Supporting level sponsorship and scholarship funding is provided by Cislunar Aerospace Inc., Ensign Bickford Aerospace and Defense, RSL Advanced Lighting Technologies, NBT Bank, and Yale Ventures.

Sponsorships and scholarship donations continue to be accepted. Online registration for the WOI awards event opens this week. The link to register, sponsor, donate, and additional details, is www.ct.org/womenofinnovation.

The Connecticut Technology Council received a 2025 Innovation in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award from the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) for its Women of Innovation^® program. The award is given annually to programs or initiatives advancing DEI for members, governance, or members/clients.

For more information about the upcoming 21^st annual Women of Innovation^®, and how to support women leaders in STEM in Connecticut, contact Milena Erwin at executive.director@ct.org.

2026 Women of Innovation^®

Corporate Innovation & Leadership – Large Business

■Kelly Azeredo – Core Team Leader, Medtronic

■Tricia Derwinski - Technical Fellow, Systems Engineering, Otis Elevator Co (retired)

■Shelton Duelm - Associate Director, Systems Engineering, Pratt and Whitney – RTX

■Jackie Garofano – Mission Account Executive, Microsoft; Co-Host, SHE SAID IT Podcast

■Surekha Kondapalli - Technical Program Manager & STEM Community Leader, Financial Partners Inc.

■Christina Mrachek - Director of DT Program Management Office (PMO) and Rising Leaders Program (RLP), Otis Elevator Co.

Corporate Innovation & Leadership – Small/Medium Business

■Nancy Hancock - Attorney, Member (Partner) and Executive Committee Member, Pullman & Comley, LLC

■Amanda Meyer – President, Reality Interactive

■Anna Mumford – Cybersecurity Consultant, CONNSTEP, Inc.

■Jessica Taylor – Executive Director, Aerospace Component Manufacturers

■Maeghan Traboulsi - Senior Manager, Product Development & Joint Ventures, Beekley Medical

Entrepreneurial Innovation & Leadership

Linda Albright - Founder, Women Run AI & Albright AI Agency

Heather Cody - Founder, CollapsiCone, LLC

Jeanine DeFalco - CEO/Founder, Mixta Inc.

Laurie Jimenez - Founder and CEO, Fulcrum Care

Marlene Megos - CEO, Equate Education

Community Innovation & Leadership

■Katy Carillo – IT Director, Tools Commercial North America, Stanley Black & Decker

■Aida Ghiael – Graduate Outreach Manager, College of Engineering, University of Connecticut

■Ashley Leung – R&D Product Engineer II, Medtronic

■Fariba Marvasti – President, Society of Information Management (SIM)

■Sorceres Rivera-Tamarez – Program Manager, Quality & Innovation, Pathways Academy of Technology and Design at ReadyCT

Research Innovation & Leadership

Kelly Burke - Professor and Department Head, College of Engineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department, University of Connecticut

Sparkle Malone - Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Carbon Capture, Yale School of the Environment

Alyssa Murphy - Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Nel Hydrogen US

Debra NIckischer - Associate Director / Bioassay and High-Content Imaging Group Leader, Arvinas, Inc.

Tamilla Triantoro -Associate Professor of Business Analytics and Information Systems, Quinnipiac University

Julie Zimmerman -Vice Provost for Planetary Solutions; Liliane and Christian Haub Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and the Environment; Deputy Director for Research at Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University

Academic Innovation & Leadership – Post Secondary

■Linda Barry - Professor, Department of Surgery & Department of Public Health, UConn Health Associate Dean, Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs, UConn School of Medicine Associate Director, UConn Health Disparities Institute, UConn School of Medicine Director, Visiting Externship for Underrepresented Students in Medicine (VESUM), University of Connecticut School of Medicine

■Stephanie Gillespie – Associate Dean, University of New Haven

■Morag Grassie - Executive Director, Yale Ventures

■Julia Irwin – Interim Provost and VP of Academic Affairs; Prof. of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University

■Jennifer Mathieu – Executive Director, Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Connecticut

■Breanna Robbins - Co-Director, Industrial Affiliates Program, University of Connecticut

■Ewa Syta - Associate Professor of Computer Science, Trinity College

Academic Innovation & Leadership - Secondary

■Alison Beres-Nork - Teacher, Amity High School

■Alissa DeJonge – President, Mercy High School

■Amy Parent - Science research teacher, Staples High School

■Devanshi Tandel – Senior Educator, AI, Machine Learning, & Quantum, dae

Collegian Innovation & Leadership

■Madisyn Brooks – Physics PhD Candidate, University of Connecticut

■Sneh Dagar – Undergraduate Student, University of New Haven

■Melika Salimi - Graduate Student, University of New Haven

■Maritza Sanchez - Undergraduate Student, Southern CT State University

Youth Innovation & Leadership

■Cassandra Fernandez – Student, Westover School

■Carolyn Rosalie Hopstaken – Student, Joel Barlow High School

■Ananya Lingamallu – Student, Glastonbury High School

■Michelle Liu – Student, Berlin High School

■Amelia Nandikesan – Student, Stamford High School