By Sara Atencio Gonzales — The New Mexico Technology Council has announced the 2026 New Mexico Women in Tech Honorees, marking the 18th year of a program that continues to spotlight leaders shaping the state’s growing technology industry.
This year’s awards ceremony will take place March 4 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The annual event recognizes women across aerospace, advanced research, enterprise technology, government and emerging innovation.
“The tech industry in New Mexico is growing,” says Marie-Pier Frigon, executive assistant with The New Mexico Technology Council. “Tech companies are moving here and establishing here. We have an incredible opportunity as a state to really improve our economic development and establish ourselves as a leader in tech and women are a critical part of that story.”
About 40 nominees were considered this year through a peer nomination and review process led by former Women in Tech honorees.
“It’s a peer nomination process and a peer review process as well, which we’re really proud of,” says Frigon. “We think that’s a really critical part of the Women in Tech Awards legacy.”
One theme that stood out, Frigon says, was how much the landscape has shifted over time.
“Several of our honorees talked about how when they began their careers, they were the only women in the room,” says Frigon. “We have made so much progress in making sure that tech does not stay a male-dominated field.”
The 2026 honorees include leaders from Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Meta, HP and state government, highlighting the breadth of innovation happening across New Mexico. From scientists and engineers to executives and IT professionals, Frigon describes the range of backgrounds as “absolutely remarkable.”
Beyond celebrating established leaders, the ceremony also invests in the next generation. This year, the council will award two scholarships to women students in tech, one undergraduate and one graduate student.
Anita Martin, one of this year’s scholarship recipients, says receiving the news was unexpected.
“It was really exciting,” says Martin. “I went to check my emails, and I’m like, no, this can’t be true.”
Martin works part time as a computer science teacher and as a health technician with Albuquerque Academy. Martin is currently enrolled in a master’s program at Navajo Technical University and plans to use the scholarship to help cover tuition and books.
“It’s going to help me with school, paying for my tuition, getting books, things of that sort,” says Martin. “I’m very grateful and honored.”
Martin explains that her path into technology was shaped in part by growing up on a reservation with limited access to infrastructure. “I come from a reservation where it lacks just access to certain technology,” says Martin. “Even with all of those disadvantages, it’s highly possible to get into the technology field.”
For young women considering a career in tech, Martin encourages them to embrace the field’s constant evolution.
“It’s an absolutely great field to get into,” says Martin. “It’s always changing, and just staying on top of the latest trends as much as possible is always a good thing.”
Over the past 18 years, the council has honored more than 150 women through the program.
“We’re just so incredibly proud of that legacy and of this program,” says Frigon. “It’s so important to recognize these movers and shakers and these people who are really trailblazers in this industry.”
While tickets this year are available through sponsorships, the ceremony will bring together leaders from across industry, government and academia for an afternoon of networking and recognition, underscoring the role women continue to play in shaping New Mexico’s tech future. For more information, go to nmtechcouncil.org/nm_women_in_tech-awards/.