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Helga Ojinmah
Helios Communications
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For Immediate Release
TAG Launches New Minority Technology Council SIG
Special Interest Group to Address the Professional Career Development Needs of Georgia’s Growing Multiethnic, Multicultural Technology Community
Atlanta, GA, June 25, 2004- The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) announced today that it has formed the Minority Technology Council (MTech Council), a new TAG Special Interest Group (SIG), to help advance the interests and careers of ethnic minority technology entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and professionals. The formal launch of MTech Council will be held the evening of July 20, 2004 at Georgia Tech’s Technology Square Research Building. The event is open to anyone interested in business and career development with Georgia’s ethnic minority technology community. Attendance is free with online registration at www.tagonline.org.
Addressing the rapid demographic changes and growing diversity in Georgia, MTech Council will operate as part of TAG with Richard J.B. Campbell, founder and CEO of Securiant, Inc. assuming the leadership position as MTech Council chair. Richard has led the efforts to define the mission for this new multiethnic group starting with the formation of the Board of Directors and an Advisory Board both of which are ethnically diverse and include representatives of the African American, Asian American, and Latin American communities.
“The challenge with many minority organizations is that they get viewed as exclusionary,” said Richard J.B. Campbell, chair of Minority Technology Council and CEO of Securiant. “We saw that many of the challenges minorities face when coming up in their careers are very similar. In fact there is a real opportunity to better serve minority technology professionals if we leverage the successes and support systems that have worked in all of the different ethnic communities.”
“Over the past several years TAG has worked hard to evolve our vision to better serve Georgia’s technology industry and at the forefront of these needs is our ability to address the growing diversity of our workforce,” said Dawn Patrick, chairperson of the TAG and partner of Deloitte and Touche. “MTech Council is a very important addition to TAG as it will help us expand our reach and grow our membership into a part of the tech sector that has not yet been tapped - ethnic groups which represent the largest growth segments of our community.”
MTech Council has already attracted a significant level of interest and participation across a diverse group of multiethnic, multicultural business and educational leaders:
MTech Council Founding Board of Directors includes: Richard J.B. Campbell, founder and CEO, Securiant Inc.; Charley D. Jin, founder and president, Frontech Inc.; Gerry L. Williams, of counsel, Lord Bissell Brook; Vanessa Boyd, co-founder and vice president, Itillious, Inc.; Manoj Mehta, co-founder and vice president, Paalam Inc.; Brent Leary, co-founder and partner, CRM Essentials; Roque Marinho, senior systems analyst, EMS Technologies; Kevin Edmonson, senior account executive, Hudson Global Resources; and Helga Ojinmah, founder and president, Helios Communications.
MTech Council Advisory Board includes: Edward Davis, dean, School of Business, Clark Atlanta University; Jose Marrero, vice president and CIO, AGCO Corporation; Greg Morrison, vice president and CIO, Cox Communications; Kanchana Raman, president and CEO, Avion Systems Inc.; and John Yates, partner, Morris Manning & Martin LLP.
Jose Marrero, CIO of AGCO Corp. is the guest speaker at the MTech Council launch event on July 20. Mr. Marrero, responsible for all information technology functions worldwide at AGCO, a $3.5 billion manufacturer of agricultural equipment, will share his insights on his 27-year international career which includes AGCO Corp, Delphi Automotive Systems, GE Capital and 3M. The launch event will also provide an opportunity to meet MTech Council board members, learn about the group’s mission, and join the TAG/MTech Council SIG.
“I am honored to serve on the Minority Technology Council Advisory Board,” said Jose Marrero, member of the MTech Advisory Board and vice president and CIO of AGCO Corporation. “It is crucial that business leaders are actively involved in developing the future generations of minority professionals and entrepreneurs and I applaud the fact that MTech is crossing ethnic and cultural lines to elevate the impact we can have for individuals building careers in technology fields.”
“The requirements to serve today’s technology community are very different because it is now represented by a very diverse ethnic make up,” said John Yates, member of the MTech Council Advisory Board and partner of Morris, Manning and Martin LLP. “To grow and advance Georgia as one of the top technology regions in the world, we must be able to provide growth and development resources that are in concert with the needs of our community - this is the valuable role MTech is going to play.”
Notable local minority technology executives attending the July 20th launch include among others: Héctor C. Baro, vice president, Worldwide Manufacturing, Scientific Atlanta, Inc.; Emeka Ohuche, founder and CEO, iKobo, Inc.; Lauren Salas, director, Public Affairs & Development, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Jeff Shirley, eMarketing director, Georgia Pacific; Maha Mahadevan, president and CEO, Business Oriented Software Solutions, Inc.; and Walter Tong, manager, Security Operations, Office of Information Security, GTA.
About MTech Council
Founded on April 14, 2004 the Minority Technology Council (MTech Council) is a Special Interest Group of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). The MTech Council’s mission is to promote awareness, visibility and advancement of ethnic minority technology entrepreneurs, corporate executives and professionals through an open and inclusive forum where members network, share best practices and gain fast track access to mentoring, business and leadership opportunities. For more information visit www.tagonline.org/MTech or call 404-817-3333.
About TAG
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a non-profit organization that serves the technology community in Georgia. TAG is dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state’s technology industry and provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving. TAG helps to bring the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. Founded in 1999 through the merger of the Business & Technology Alliance (B&TA), the Southeastern Software Association (SSA) and Women in Technology (WIT); TAG is one of the largest state technology associations in the nation. TAG is made up of several thousand members representing technology leaders from over 1500 Georgia-based companies, affiliated technology and business organizations. TAG recognizes the support and contributions of its Premier Patron; Kilpatrick Stockton and Patrons; Hunton & Williams, Computer Associates, Deloitte and Noro-Moseley Partners. For more information on TAG, visit www.tagonline.org, email info @tagonline.org or call (404) 817-3333.
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