2025 SNIA Member Recognition Honorees
2025 SNIA Member Recognition Honorees
We could not do the work of the SNIA without our passionate and dedicated volunteers. We are pleased to recognize the following honorees in two unique categories. Honorees are selected by SNIA members via an anonymous survey. The first set of awards are individuals who made significant contributions to SNIA. The second set of awards are group awards which recognize a Community or Technical Work Group.
(as announced January 14, 2026)
Individual Awards
Curtis Ballard, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Exceptional Leadership
Dave Landsman, Western Digital
Volunteer of the Year
Tom Palkert, Samtec
Unsung Hero
David Thiel, Industry Consultant
Unsung Hero
Adam Gray, IBM
New Contributor of the Year
Erik Smith, Dell Technologies
Excellence in Education
Group Awards
SNIA GROUP OF THE YEAR:
SDC Agenda Team
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT BY A PREVIOUSLY EXISTING TECHNICAL WORK GROUP (TWG) OR TASK FORCE
StorageAI Task Force