2026 CapitalCISO ORBIE Awards Recognize Top Security Executives
MCLEAN, Va., June 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 CapitalCISO ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information security officers (CISOs) from Northrop Grumman Corporation, Navy Federal Credit Union, Office of Personnel Management, Calvert County Government & University of Maryland Medical System for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by CapitalCISO, a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network, the prestigious awards honor CISOs who drive business transformation and industry impact.
Held at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, the ceremony brought together top executives and industry leaders to honor excellence in security leadership across five award categories.
“Behind every successful cybersecurity strategy is a CISO leading the vision,” said Michael Baker, CapitalCISO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards are the ultimate recognition program for the leaders behind the work.”
Meet the 2026 CapitalCISO ORBIE Award Winners:
- Grant Jewell, Corporate Director & Deputy CISO, Northrop Grumman Corporation, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
- Mike Newborn, CISO, Navy Federal Credit Union, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $10 billion annual revenue.
- Danielle Rowell, CISO, Office of Personnel Management (fmr), received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue.
- Kat Poff, CISO, Deputy Director of Technology Services, Calvert County Government, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $1 billion annual revenue.
- Duc Lai, VP IT Security & CISO, University of Maryland Medical System, received the Healthcare ORBIE for hospitals & healthcare organizations.
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
CapitalCISO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote conversation for the CapitalCISO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Michael Baker, Vice President and Global CISO, DXC Technology, and Frank Aiello, Senior Vice President and CISO, Maximus. Nearly 250 guests attended, representing leading Capital Area organizations and their technology partners.
The following partners made the 2026 CapitalCISO ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Fortinet & Halcyon
- Gold Partners: Chainguard, Method Security & Wiz
- Silver Partners: Abnormal Security, Okta & Zscaler
- Bronze Partners: Between Pixels, Bricklayer AI, Cyera, Elisity, GuidePoint Security, Horizon3.ai, LevelBlue, Netskope & RSM
- Media Partner: Washington 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 CapitalCISO:
CapitalCISO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information security officers (CISOs) in Capital Area. As one of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CapitalCISO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CapitalCISO 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
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