Honorees will be celebrated at TRANSACT 2026 in Atlanta, March 18-20, where the leaders in payments will come together to recognize their achievements.
ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) today announced the recipients of the 2026 ETA Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations whose work is advancing the payments industry. Honorees will be recognized during TRANSACT 2026, taking place March 18–20 in Atlanta.
The ETA Awards celebrate professional achievement across the payments ecosystem, honoring leadership, service, and technical innovation. Recipients are selected through a peer-driven review process recognizing the strategic leadership and operational expertise required to drive payments forward.
“The payments industry is the force behind innovations that make life easier for consumers and merchants,” said Jodie Kelley, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association. “TRANSACT 2026 is the perfect place to recognize those payments professionals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership.”
STAR AWARDS
Committee Volunteer of the Year
Recipients: Mary Meade-Kolsen, Synovus; Adrienne Gray, Commercial Bank of California
Pay It Forward
Recipient: Steve Bryson, GETTRX
Distinguished Payments Professional
Recipient: James Oberman, Payroc
Business Partner of the Year
Recipient: PayPal
Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of the Year
Winner: Run Payments
Most Innovative Product or Solution
Winner: Adyen
TOP 10 PAYMENTS ISVS
Recognizing ISVs driving payments innovation through advanced software, improved user experience, and enhanced security and efficiency.
Recipients: CurPay; Rock Paper Coin; Vino by Vivid Commerce; PayNearMe; Sionic Mobile Corporation; NXTMOVES; Cleverbridge; Squire
TOP PAYMENTS SALES PROFESSIONALS
Honoring sales leaders demonstrating strategic growth and measurable industry impact.
Recipients: Aaron Huang, Universal Processing; Amy Stubbs, PayTrace; Ashton Radican, Landi; Grant Crider, Basis Theory; Hunter Groff, Adyen; Jake West, Adyen; Jason Simmrin, InovioPay; Jonathan Tavernari, FlexFactor; Kate Root, Chesapeake Bank; Kyle Cornelius, Rainforest Pay; Larry Sandoval, North; Lauren Langbridge, Wise; Lisa Brooks, Elavon; Marco Casas, Apple; Mark Winfield, Echelon; Max Zamora, U.S. Bank; Naomi Mastera, NMI; Neil Lanzendorfer, Payarc; Pamela West, U.S. Bank; Rebecca Specht, Stax Payments Inc.; Seth Castillo, NMI; Thomas Vo, Universal Processing; Tim Reidy, Ingenico; Valerie Miller, Mastercard; Warren Birchley, NMI; Cosmos McShirley, Linked2Pay; Faviola Paz, Luqra
ETA CERTIFIED PAYMENTS PROFESSIONAL (ETA CPP) OF THE YEAR
Recipient: Maria Cable, Maverick
ETA YOUNG PAYMENTS PROFESSIONALS (ETA YPP)
Recognizing emerging leaders demonstrating industry engagement and professional growth, alongside mentorship support.
Recipients: Petra Nelson, PayPal; Monica Vazquez, TouchBistro; Salvador Santos, Visa; Ashley Howard, Cardflight; Jake Kernan, Tempus Technologies; Joshua Contreras, Wise; Bailey Bastian, Weave; Rita Rochford, U.S. Bank; Crystal Guevara, Discover; Marco Buchmayer, NMI
FORTY UNDER 40
Recognizing rising leaders shaping the future of payments.
Recipients: Alexandra Wilshire, Stax Payments; Allison Francke, USAG; Ari Pollack, Cross River Bank; Arjun Wadwalkar, Global Payments; Brigit Carroll, Wise; Bruce Rice, North; Callie Andrioff, Fiserv; Chris Thill, FlexFactor; Christina Crespo, Luqra; Danny Hakimian, TrueBiz; Elisabeth Feeney, Maverick; Erica Lin, North; Erica Woods, Stripe; Franklin Dibachi, Payarc; Hailey Nguyen, POPcodes; Heather Philpott Osantowski, POS Portal / ScanSource; James Lloyd, Ingenico; Jinzhao Liu, Universal Processing; Josh Istas, TSG; Karah Niemann, Apple; Kim Osborn, Elavon; Kyle Sims, Cliq; Lamice Skhiri, Featurespace (a Visa Solution); Lee Obrien, Talus Pay; Megan Wheeler, Run Payments; Nadim Awan, Elavon; Nicholas Martin, Powertranz; Nick Wells, Echelon; Prateek Khamesra, Visa; Rob Fox, NMI; Robert Podlesni, Revolv3; Ryan Ahern, Verifone; Ryan Beel, Mastercard; Sai Kailash, Cross River Bank; Sofia Bouissiere, Maverick; Stephanie Munoz, Paysafe; Stephanie O’Connor, Wind River Payments; Tonida Vaka, TapifyGo; Yosselin Nunez, Payroc; Zachary Schneiderman, Payarc
Award recipients will be recognized at TRANSACT 2026, where payments professionals gather annually for education, collaboration, and industry engagement.
To learn more about the ETA Awards and this year’s honorees, visit https://transactshow.com/awards/
Registration for TRANSACT 2026 is now open. For event updates, agenda details, and registration information, visit https://transactshow.com
Chela Piacentini
TRANSACT
chela@transactshow.com
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