ATLANTA (Dec. 9, 2022) – Today, the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) announces the three Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Award winners as part of the Converge conference in the categories of DE&I Tech Impact Leader of the Year, DE&I Emerging Tech Leader of the Year, and the Inclusive Technology Leadership Award.
Each year, TAG accepts applications from technology leaders or their public relations representatives for the DE&I Awards, which recognize companies and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional efforts to advance matters of diversity and inclusion within their organizations, and to embrace the excellence of all employees to achieve positive outcomes in both the workplace and in the community. To determine winners, these applications are then reviewed and scored by a panel of judges made up of members of the Georgia technology community.
“The Georgia innovation economy cannot make progress without having diversity, equity, and inclusion at its core,” said Larry Williams, President and CEO of TAG. “I’m proud to recognize these three award winners for their commitment to the advancement of DE&I through a number of programs and initiatives that make Georgia technology a more inclusive place for all individuals. Congratulations to these winners.”
2022 DE&I Award Winners
Jennifer Baker, CTO and Women in Technology President at Synovus is this year’s winner in the category of DE&I Tech Impact Leader of the Year. This award recognizes a CHRO, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Diversity Officer or equivalent throughout Georgia in corporate, government, education or non-profit sectors who has a primary leadership in technology and diversity, equity and inclusion program and projects.
Benjamin Yang, Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute is this year’s winner in the category of DE&I Emerging Tech Leader of the Year. This award recognizes a rising leader in any type or size Georgia organization who demonstrated leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion technology programs and projects.
Cisco Systems is this year’s winner in the category of Inclusive Technology Leadership Award. This award recognizes a program or project of an organization that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in technology.
“This year’s DE&I Award winners demonstrate a spirit of excellence – one that comes from actively engaging in purpose-driven decision making and creating innovative programs that address the needs of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Stacie Hagan, chair of the Converge DE&I Awards. “The 2022 applicant pool was very broad, and we are encouraged to see the number of ways Georgia leaders are making the workforce a more inclusive place for all.”
All award winners were recognized live on stage at TAG’s annual Converge Conference on December 1st at the Atlanta Buckhead Marriott.
To find out more about this year’s finalists, please visit www.convergetag.com/awards.
About the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
TAG’s mission is to Connect, Promote, Influence and Educate Georgia’s technology ecosystem to advance the innovation economy. Through those four foundational strategies TAG serves the technology community, helping to support, grow and ignite tech leaders, companies and the overall Georgia economy.
TAG serves more than 30,000 members statewide through regional chapters in Metro Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon/Middle Georgia, and Savannah. TAG hosts more than 150 events each year and serves as an umbrella organization for 26 professional societies.
TAG provides networking and educational programs; celebrates Georgia’s technology leaders and companies, and advocates for legislative action that enhances the state’s economic climate for technology.
Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive.
For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit www.tagedonline.org.
