TechRochester Honors 2026 Technology Women of the Year

Andrea Deckert//April 27, 2026//

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TechRochester recently recognized the region’s leading women in technology at its annual awards breakfast, held at the Memorial Art Gallery.

The event honored 16 nominees before naming Cheryl Stein-Nelan as the 2026 Technology Woman of the Year and Kayte Malik as the Emerging Technology Woman of the Year.

The awards aim to elevate the visibility of women in high-tech fields while encouraging mentorship, retention and continued growth within the region.

Stein-Nelan founded CMIT Solutions of Rochester in 2011 and, under her leadership, the firm has achieved 233% growth and ranks in the top 2% of CMIT franchises nationwide.

As the top-ranked woman-owned CMIT office in the country, she is also a strong advocate for women in technology.

Malik is the founder of MindReady AI, a division of Arrow House Group. Her work focuses on developing secure, enterprise-ready artificial intelligence systems that connect advanced generative AI with practical business applications.

Beyond her corporate work, Malik is the founder of Dresscode Tech, a program that combines fashion and coding to inspire young women to pursue careers in computer science.

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