2016 was a banner year for the Public Sector team at Red Hat, marked by several key milestones. In July, we teamed up with Microsoft to offer Red Hat Cloud Access to Azure Government customers. In October, we announced that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 received Red Hat’s 16^th Common Criteria Certification. In November, we brought together more than 650 government and industry influencers at our annual Red Hat Government Symposium. And we celebrated numerous customer successes throughout the year.

Today, we are proud to announce another milestone, with two of Red Hat’s public sector executives being recognized for their leadership and contributions to the government technology community.

Paul Smith, senior vice president and general manager of Red Hat’s Public Sector team, was inducted into the 2017 edition of the Wash100, a compilation of influential and impactful executives identified by the Executive Mosaic editorial board who are thriving at the intersection of government and industry. Paul has been with Red Hat for 12 years and has more than 30 years of experience in the government technology sector. He was selected as one of 100 honorees recognized for driving innovation, vision and achievement for American Citizens.

We’re also pleased to share that Lynne Chamberlain, vice president of business development for Red Hat’s Public Sector team, was selected as a finalist in the 18^th Annual Women in Technology Leadership Awards for her contributions in the large-sector market. Lynne has been with Red Hat since 2005, and throughout her career she has put a premium on leadership and mentorship, including her dedication to  fellow team members, students and the broader technology community. Lynne will be recognized with all WIT Award finalists at the Leadership Awards Gala in May.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating both Paul Smith and Lynne Chamberlain for their accomplishments and well-deserved industry accolades.