CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 CarolinaCISO ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information security officers (CISOs) from Honeywell Technologies, Enpro Inc., Duke Energy, State Employees’ Credit Union, isolved HCM & NetSPI for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by CarolinaCISO, a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network, the prestigious awards honor CISOs who drive business transformation and industry impact. View finalists, partners, and more on the Digital ORBIE Feature.
Held at The Westin Charlotte, the ceremony brought together top executives and industry leaders to honor excellence in security leadership across seven award categories.
“Behind every successful cybersecurity strategy is a CISO leading the vision,” said Christina Bray, CarolinaCISO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards are the ultimate recognition program for the leaders behind the work.”
Meet the 2026 CarolinaCISO ORBIE Award Winners:
- Jim O’Connell, Chief Information Security Officer, received the Leadership ORBIE.
- Chase Carpenter, Chief Security Officer, Honeywell Technologies, received the Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
- Frank DePaola, VP & CISO, Enpro Inc., received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
- Martin Strasburger, SVP & Chief Security Officer, Duke Energy, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue.
- Sophie Street, Chief Security Officer, State Employees’ Credit Union, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue.
- Tom Watson, CISO, isolved HCM, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $250 million annual revenue.
- Joe Evangelisto, CISO, NetSPI, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $250 million annual revenue.
About the ORBIE:
The ORBIE is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Since 1998, the ORBIE Awards have recognized leadership excellence, building relationships between executives and trusted business partners, and inspiring the next generation of executives. Finalists and winners are selected through an independent peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE recipients based on the following criteria:
- Leadership and management effectiveness
- Business protection created by enterprise security
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
CarolinaCISO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote conversation for the CarolinaCISO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Jim O’Connell, Chief Information Security Officer, and Mignona Cote, CISO, T200. Over 200 guests attended, representing leading Carolina organizations and their security partners.
The following partners made the 2026 CarolinaCISO ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriter: Fortinet
- Gold Partners: Cyera, Native, SentinelOne & Sublime Security
- Silver Partners: Armis, Cloudflare, Digital.ai, Optiv, Red Canary & Wiz
- Bronze Partners: Abnormal Security, Between Pixels, BigID, HYPR & SailPoint Technologies
- Media Partner: Charlotte Business Journal & Triangle Business Journal
- Nonprofit Partner: Year Up United
To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.
About CarolinaCISO:
CarolinaCISO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information security officers (CISOs) in Carolina. As one of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CarolinaCISO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CarolinaCISO is led by a CISO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CISOs and members.
About Inspire Leadership Network:
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With nearly 2,000 members across over 50 local chapters, Inspire members serve public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and non-profit institutions. Inspire exists to help leaders thrive in today’s most challenging executive roles.
Media Contact
Nicole Lammes
nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b27ce224-5ccf-4f15-a7f0-c7bde82f34ce
