PALM HARBOR, Fla., Oct. 27, 2026 -- Geographic Solutions announced today that Melina Tabares, who serves as Lead Architect for the company's Staff Efficiency/AI and Mobile Teams, has been named a winner in the 2026 Herizon Awards, in the category of "Transformed a Company." Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the award recognizes women who are changing how the world works.
The 2026 Herizon Awards honor 57 winners across five nominee roles and four countries, spotlighting women whose leadership has moved individuals, teams, companies, industries, and the globe.
Before artificial intelligence (AI) entered workforce development technology, many processes remained manual, time consuming, and administratively burdensome. Tabares recognized that generative AI could improve experiences for job seekers, employers, and workforce agency staff.
With that vision, Tabares helped lead Geographic Solutions' collaboration with Microsoft to integrate artificial intelligence into its flagship workforce development platform, Virtual OneStop® Sapphire (VOS Sapphire®). Leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI, the platform introduced AI-powered capabilities that enhanced résumé development, job matching, and workforce service processes.
Under Tabares' leadership, the amount of AI-assisted prompts within VOS Sapphire has grown by 331% starting with an initial 19 prompts in 2024 and growing to 82 in 2026. To date, five states have integrated AI within their workforce systems, with additional states expected to follow over the next year.
"Melina Tabares brought visionary AI leadership to Geographic Solutions. Her work on OpenAI-powered and agent-based systems has redefined workforce development software and reshaped the company's technical roadmap," said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at Business Intelligence Group.
"These women aren't waiting for the world to change. They're the ones changing it. Melina stood out because her work in AI leadership reflects what Herizon is about: real change, led by women, that reaches well beyond a single team," said Fordyce.
"Being recognized in the 'Transformed a Company' category is a testament to the collaborative spirit at Geographic Solutions," said Tabares. "When you are in software, you need to advance as the technology advances. By bringing OpenAI into our flagship platform, we've fundamentally changed how people connect with employment opportunities. This award belongs to the team that turned that vision into reality, and I hope it opens doors for the next generation of women tech leaders."
To learn more about the 2026 Herizon Awards, visit: https://www.herizonawards.com/winners/2026
Press release first distributed via PR Newswire.