The 2025 Woman of the Year: Small/Emerging Business category honored leaders who are making an extraordinary impact through entrepreneurship, innovation, and creating opportunities in technology.

Shana Sanders — Founder & CEO, We Create Tech (Winner)

Shana’s journey combines creativity, education, and technology. As the Founder and CEO of We Create Tech, she leads a fast-growing nonprofit dedicated to closing the opportunity divide in STEAM through culturally relevant tech education. Over the past year, Shana expanded from serving 200 youth to 700+ students, providing hands-on STEAM training across all six Google Career Certificate areas, and launched TechRise — a digital ecosystem offering certifications, internships, and advisor connections.

“Leading We Create Tech has been about building pathways, lifting others, and creating opportunities where they didn’t exist before.”

Allison Giddens — CIO, Win-Tech, Inc. (Finalist)

Allison’s career is a testament to long-term dedication, leadership, and innovation in a small business setting. Over nearly two decades, she grew from assistant to co-owner and now serves as CIO of Win-Tech, Inc., a small aerospace manufacturer. In June 2025, Allison led Win-Tech through a successful Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 third-party assessment — making them one of the first small manufacturers to achieve this milestone.

“Leading Win-Tech is about more than business outcomes — it’s about opening doors for others, inspiring future engineers, and building systems that support growth.”

Celine Vignal — Founder, Seesaw Health (Finalist)

Celine’s journey is driven by innovation, science, and a personal commitment to women’s health. As the founder of Seesaw Health, she leads a pioneering health tech company at the intersection of biosensing, behavioral therapies, and women’s wellness.

“Building Seesaw Health has been about transforming personal experience into actionable innovation.”