Five women were recognized with awards at the 2026 Nebraska Women in Tech Summit on March 6. The summit, organized by the Nebraska Tech Collaborative, a talent and workforce initiative under the Aksarben Foundation, aims to uplift and celebrate women in technology jobs.

The awards “shine a light on the women building, leading, mentoring and expanding opportunity across Nebraska’s tech ecosystem,” said Shonna Dorsey, executive director of the Nebraska Tech Collaborative. “Each honoree represents the kind of leadership that helps our state grow stronger and more competitive.”

The awardees:

• Alyssa Cave, director of entrepreneurship at the Nebraska Startup Academy. Cave received the Rising Star of the Year award for her “early career leadership” and work supporting innovation in Nebraska.
• Tailla Strawn, the senior lead instructor at the Code Black Professional Tech Network. Strawn received the Community Impact of the Year award for helping expand technology education and career pathways in tech.
• Molly Huyck, founder of SET the Bar and Aequitas Invest. Huyck received the Diversity Champion of the Year award for supporting inclusion in tech and as a community advocate.
• Vidya Bommanapally, a Ph.D. in Computing & Information Science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Bommanapally received the Innovator of the Year award for her technology research work and being part of the next generation of Nebraska innovation.
• Asha Deshpande, director of analytics at the Lozier Corporation. Deshpande received the Mentor of the Year award for helping other professionals navigate careers in tech.

The five women were selected by a committee of 23 people from among 88 nominations. Awards were presented by the Aksarben Foundation, Kiewit and Google.

Next year, the Nebraska Women in Tech Awards will be a stand-alone event in the fall, rather than being held during the summit.

Lev Gringauz is a Report for America corps member who writes about corporate innovation and workforce development for Silicon Prairie News.