MCLEAN, Va., April 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acentra Health, a technology and health solutions company dedicated to accelerating better health outcomes for government and commercial clients and the populations they serve, today announced that Sean Harrison, Chief AI Officer, has been named an honoree in the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) inaugural 2026 AI50 Awards. The awards recognize the companies and leaders across the National Capital Region who are moving artificial intelligence from concept to real-world impact.

Selected from over 160 nominations across Northern Virginia, Harrison was honored in the AI50 Executives category, which highlights visionary leaders shaping the future of AI across industry and government.

From defense and national security to healthcare, enterprise, and the physical frontier of AI, the NVTC AI50 Awards celebrate individuals and organizations at the forefront of artificial intelligence, showcasing breakthrough innovation. This year's highly competitive selection process reflects the strength and depth of the region's AI ecosystem.

"At Acentra Health, we are committed to advancing innovative, AI-driven solutions that improve healthcare outcomes and deliver meaningful value to our clients and the populations they serve," said Todd Stottlemyer, CEO of Acentra Health. "Sean leads with a pragmatic and results-oriented vision and has elevated Acentra Health's use of AI from mere productivity tooling to enterprise transformation. His dedication to championing AI effectively and responsibly embodies our company's culture of continuous learning and mission-driven service, making this recognition especially well deserved."

Examples of Harrison's Acentra Health AI innovations include:

Decreasing medical coder effort by 30% using agentic AI workflows.
Launching SmartDoc to generate clinical summaries, reducing hours of manual reviews — resulting in an 80% reduction in nurse review time of prior authorization requests.
Working with Acentra Health clients and partners to launch the Safe AI in Medicaid Alliance (SAMA) to promote safe, responsible AI adoption for Medicaid programs.

"I'm honored to be recognized alongside such an inspiring group of leaders shaping the future of AI in the National Capital Region," said Harrison. "This award reflects the incredible work of our teams at Acentra Health, who are committed to advancing innovation responsibly while improving outcomes for the clients and communities we serve. I am proud of what we have built together and excited about the opportunity to continue leading with purpose at the intersection of technology and public service."

Harrison joins a distinguished inaugural class of NVTC AI50 Award-winning executives from organizations including AWS, Intel, and the U.S. Department of the Navy. The AI50 honorees will be recognized at the NVTC Impact AI Summit & AI50 Awards on May 14 in McLean, Virginia, alongside keynote speakers and expert panels covering the full AI landscape.

To view the full list of NVTC AI50 2026 winners, please visit this link.

About Acentra Health

Acentra Health combines public sector knowledge, clinical expertise, and technological ingenuity to modernize the healthcare experience for state, federal, and commercial partners, and their priority populations. From designing and developing advanced claims, encounter, and provider solutions that drive efficiency and cost savings to delivering clinically focused solution models for care management, clinical assessments, and quality oversight, Acentra Health is accelerating better health outcomes. Acentra Health is backed by Carlyle (NASDAQ:CG), a global investment firm. Learn more at acentra.com.

About the NVTC Impact AI & AI50 Summit

Now in its seventh year, the Impact AI Summit has become the National Capital Region's flagship event convening the leaders shaping the future of artificial intelligence across government, defense, healthcare, and enterprise. The 2026 summit elevates the dialogue with five high-impact panels exploring critical frontiers — from national security and infrastructure to healthcare innovation and emerging AI applications — alongside the inaugural AI50 honoree celebration.

This year's program is further distinguished by two keynotes — from Kaydee James, Chief of Staff at the Department of War's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), and Venky Yerneni, Global Head of Enterprise Solutions at xAI — bringing perspectives from both the frontlines of national security and the cutting edge of commercial AI innovation.

To purchase tickets or learn more about the event, visit here.

About Northern Virginia Technology Council

NVTC is where the region's tech community comes together. Representing 500 members — from bold startups to Fortune 100 leaders — NVTC drives innovation, fosters connections, and advocates for policies that fuel growth and position Northern Virginia as a global leader in technology. Through initiatives in cybersecurity, generative AI, cloud computing, space, defense tech, and more, NVTC empowers the tech community to shape the future.

Learn more at www.nvtc.org.

NVTC Media Contact:

Tarin Horan, Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC)

703-946-0319, thoran@nvtc.org

Acentra Health Media Contacts:

Marnie Keogh

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Acentra Health

703-214-3666

Marnie.Keogh@acentra.com

Lindsey Rodarmer

Public Relations Manager

Acentra Health

240-404-9090

Lindsey.Rodarmer@acentra.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d6577e18-c840-416c-9ce5-fce049b2b0b8

Acentra Health Chief AI Officer Sean Harrison Named to NVTC AI50