Event Recap: 2026 Executive Leadership Awards
On Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, Innovate@UCLA hosted its annual Executive Leadership Awards Dinner (ELAD) at the UCLA Luskin Ballroom. Centered on this year’s theme, “Workforce of the Future: Preparing for the Jobs, Skills, and Leaders of Tomorrow,” the evening brought together technology executives, academic leaders, innovators, and community to recognize organizations creating meaningful impact through technology and explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of work.
Serving as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Davida Johnson, Executive Director of UCLA’s Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) and Executive Sponsor of Innovate@UCLA, and Andy Schlei, former Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Executive Leadership Awards Chair, guided the attendees through the evening’s award recipients, panel discussions, and keynote address.
The Public Sector Award went to John Wayne Airport’s Airport Director, Charlene Reynolds, and Deputy Airport Director, Amer Moujtahed. John Wayne Airport was recognized for demonstrating how technology can improve public-sector operations and the passenger experience.
The program then turned to the evening panel discussion, “The Future-Ready Workforce: Leadership, Talent, and AI in a Time of Transformation,” which was moderated by Thomas Phelps, Chief Information Officer at Esri and Chief Strategist at Innovate@UCLA. He was joined by Bryan Ackermann, Senior Vice President and Head of AI Strategy and Transformation at Korn Ferry; Dean Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering; and Omid Yazdi, Partner and Pacific Southwest Advisory Market Leader at KPMG. Together, the panelists explored how AI is reshaping jobs, skills, organizational leadership, and how companies can prepare their workforces for rapid technological change.
The Emerging Technology Award was given to Truth Systems AI’s Co-Founder & CEO Alex Mac and Co-Founder and COO Nam Nguyen. Truth Systems developed a real-time AI governance platform that helps law firms safely adopt artificial intelligence. Davida Johnson first met Mac and Nguyen when they were UCLA students enrolled in Engineering 170, a 4.0 course supported by Innovate@UCLA’s Young Tech Professionals (YTP) Program and co-taught by Johnson and Jim Davis, UCLA Vice Provost (CIO/CTO) and Professor Emeritus.
The Enterprise Award was given to City of Hope’s President and CEO Robert Stone and System Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer Simon Nazarian. City of Hope has grown from a single Los Angeles hospital into a national health system while maintaining a focus on scientific discovery, patient care, and access to breakthrough treatments.
Closing the evening’s thought leadership program, Kevin Popović, known as “The Idea Guy,” Innovation Strategist & Doctoral Researcher, and creator of AMPLIFIED! ™, delivered the keynote address. His perspective reinforced the evening’s central theme: as technology becomes increasingly capable, human-centered problem solving, creativity, and the ability to turn ideas into action remain essential.
The evening also featured a special recognition award presented to Davida Johnson. Jim Davis introduced the award, which honored Johnson for her extraordinary impact and enduring contributions to the Innovate@UCLA community.
We would like to recognize and thank our Platinum Tier sponsor, The Silicon Partners (TSP) and Silver Tier sponsors Avasant and Beacon Hill Technologies. TSP and Avasant are returning as event sponsors for the fifth consecutive year. Denomix Technologies is the networking sponsor for the post-event gathering.
From recognizing AI innovation and technology-enabled public service to exploring the future of talent and celebrating advances in health care, the 2026 Executive Leadership Awards Dinner embodied Innovate@UCLA’s mission to bridge academia and industry and turn innovation into real-world impact.
We are so thankful to everyone who contributed to this event’s success, and we can’t wait for next year’s event!
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