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OpenHub Corp-led chapter recognized for its pioneering approach to technology community development in the Hudson Valley region

NEWBURGH, NY — OpenHub Corp, a Hudson Valley-based technology training and AI literacy organization, announced today that GDG Hudson Valley — the regional Google Developer Group chapter organized in partnership with OpenHub — has received the Chapter Innovation Award at the Google Developer Groups North America Summit 2026, held May 21–22 in conjunction with Google I/O.

The award was awarded by Rachel Francois, Google Developers Relations team lead, and accepted on stage by the GDG Hudson Valley organizing team — Yulia Ovchinnikova, PhD (Founder & CEO, OpenHub Corp), and John Sturman — and recognizes the chapter's innovative and sustained approach to building a thriving, inclusive technology ecosystem in the Hudson Valley: one that integrates workforce development, youth education, civic technology, and professional community into a unified regional model.

Recognized for More Than a Single Event

While GDG Hudson Valley's Open Data & AI Hackathon series drew particular recognition, the Chapter Innovation Award reflects a broader and longer story: seven years of intentional, cross-sector community building that consistently brings the latest technology to underserved and emerging audiences — without delay, without gatekeeping, and without waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

On stage at the Summit, the official Chapter Innovation Award presentation featured images of GDG Hudson Valley's hackathon community — developers, students, and mentors collaborating side by side. It was a fitting visual for an award that celebrates exactly that: people, brought together around technology.

Since 2019, GDG Hudson Valley — operating in close partnership with OpenHub's full ecosystem of programs — has delivered:

• Annual HVTechFest events including Open Data Hackathons, AI Hackathons, and DevFest developer conferences
• Monthly HVTech community meetups featuring Show & Tell demos, Community AI prototype builds, and cross-sector networking
• The Digital Rally Youth Hackathon, bringing high school students from across the Hudson Valley into civic tech challenges
• Real-time integration of emerging technologies — from AI and machine learning to multimodal tools — into community programming as they become available

This is the model Google recognized: not a single event, but an ecosystem approach that connects youth, adult learners, developers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and government around a shared commitment to technology as a force for regional equity and growth.

What This Recognition Means

"This award means everything to our community," said Yulia Ovchinnikova, PhD, Founder and CEO of OpenHub Corp and a co-organizer of GDG Hudson Valley. "We've always believed that innovation doesn't only happen in major tech hubs — it happens wherever people come together with curiosity, purpose, and the right support. The Hudson Valley is that place. Having Google recognize our chapter for the way we've built this community — not just for one event, but for our entire approach — validates what our members, volunteers, partners, and learners have known for years: that what we're building here matters."

She was quick to share the credit. "John, Rachel, and I accepted this award on behalf of hundreds of people — every participant, volunteer, mentor, sponsor, and partner who has shown up for our hackathons and meetups. This belongs to all of them."

The award was received at the GDG North America Summit just days after Ovchinnikova represented GDG Hudson Valley and OpenHub at Google I/O 2026 — Google's annual developer conference — where she engaged directly with the latest advances in AI, multimodal tools, and responsible AI infrastructure that OpenHub is already bringing into its curriculum and community programming.

What Comes Next

GDG Hudson Valley and OpenHub will mark the award — and bring Google I/O's most significant announcements directly to the Hudson Valley community — at I/O Extended Hudson Valley on June 11, 2026: a free, open community meetup for developers, learners, educators, and anyone curious about where AI is heading.

"We don't wait," Ovchinnikova added. "The technologies Google unveiled at I/O this week are already part of what we're teaching and exploring with our community. That's been our commitment from day one — to make sure the Hudson Valley is always at the table, not watching from the sidelines."

About OpenHub Corp

OpenHub Corp is a technology training, AI literacy, and ecosystem development organization based in Newburgh, NY, serving the Hudson Valley region since 2017. A certified NYS Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and ETPL-eligible training provider across Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties, OpenHub operates four interconnected pillars: Tech Academy (workforce digital skills for adults), Youth STEAM Programs (Girls Who Code / Newburgh Girls Code Club, BuildLab, and competitive robotics), HVTech Community Meetups, and HVTechFest Events (hackathons, DevFests, and civic tech conferences).

OpenHub's cross-pollination model intentionally connects youth, adult learners, and the broader tech community around real work — building the Hudson Valley's technology ecosystem from the ground up.

 openhubproject.com · hvtechfest.com

Contact
Yulia Ovchinnikova, PhD Founder & CEO, OpenHub Corp | Co-Organizer, GDG Hudson Valley  

yulia@openhubproject.com