We help tech help people.
We help tech help people.
↓ Continue reading to learn more about the award criteria and winners and finalists from 2024. ↓
Individuals nominated for this award demonstrate excellence at a national or civic level, exercise exemplary social or corporate responsibility, play a leading role in advocating for volunteerism, and provide an outstanding contribution to community service efforts.
Individuals nominated for this award are an outstanding volunteer or staff member of a nonprofit organization in Georgia who engages the wider community to assist in-need and at-risk community members. The recipient demonstrates an understanding of technological innovation and social entrepreneurship.
This award recognizes chief technology or chief information officers exhibiting exceptional qualities and abilities. The Ed Steinike CIO Award was first given in awarded to an exceptional CIO demonstrating a passion for mentoring and commitment to philanthropy.
A nominee for this award conceptualizes, strategizes, and launches the venture, and navigates the evolution of the business model and is a founder, owner, or past owner of the business at the time of the nomination allowing for selling the business or acquisition arrangements.
This award commemorates Vish Narendra and his incredible work for and with Techbridge. Vish is a co-founder of the Technology Career Program and is a consistent supporter of Techbridge.
This year’s nominations are closed. Thanks to all who took the time to nominate a worthy candidate!
Community Leader Award
This award commemorates Vish Narendra and his incredible work for and with TechBridge. Vish is a co-founder of the Technology Career Program and is a consistent supporter of TechBridge.
Vish Narendra TCP Graduate of Excellence Award
This award commemorates Vish Narendra and his incredible work for and with TechBridge. Vish is a co-founder of the Technology Career Program and is a consistent supporter of TechBridge.
Bill Bolling Nonprofit Leader Award
Former CEO of CHRIS 180, a trailblazer in trauma-informed care and youth advocacy.
President & CEO of Sheltering Arms, ensuring young children and families thrive through early education.
Julio Carrillo, CEO of Hope Atlanta, recipient of the Bill Bolling Nonprofit Leader Award, for his visionary leadership in addressing homelessness and driving systemic change.
VP of IT Enterprise Applications at ANDMORE, championing tech for business transformation and empowering underserved communities.
Client Engagement Executive at Hylaine, a dedicated volunteer leader across Atlanta’s tech and nonprofit sectors.
Carrie Bates Hastings, Director, Atlanta at Apparo – Business and Tech Solutions for Nonprofits, recipient of the Ann Cramer Volunteer Award, for her unwavering dedication to connecting nonprofits with tech solutions that transform communities.
Karen Cramer is the VP of data, technology, and impact at Purpose Built Communities. She leverages over two decades of nonprofit management and development expertise. In her role within the Impact Team, she implements Purpose Built Communities’ measurement framework and implements an integrated data system for Purpose Built Communities, network members, and community partners.
Elevance Health is a lifetime trusted health partner whose purpose is to improve humanity’s health. They support consumers, families, and communities across their entire healthcare journey — connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead better lives.
For over 24 years, UST has worked side by side with the world’s best companies to make a real impact through transformation.
James M. “Jay” Bailey is a dynamic force committed to his unwavering motto, Build As We Climb.
With a transformative vision, he embodies the essence of a leader and emerging philanthropist. Bailey directs his life’s mission towards uplifting others.
As the President and CEO of the H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), Bailey leads the world’s largest entrepreneurial hub. RICE is dedicated to growing, scaling, and developing Black businesses: in just four years, under Bailey’s visionary leadership, RICE supports over 500 entrepreneurs full time, generating an impressive $184 million in annual revenues, supporting 2,153 community jobs, and sparking a staggering $478 million of new economic impact in the Metro Atlanta area. Bailey and his team have transformed RICE into an economic empowerment and innovation powerhouse.
An Atlanta native, sought-after speaker, three-times TED Talk speaker, and die-hard Georgia Bulldog, Bailey has a proven track record of success. His leadership and commitment to the community have been recognized by three U.S. Presidents. In , he was one of eight Americans honored at the White House as a Champion of Change: Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In , President Barack Obama bestowed the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award on Bailey in recognition of his dedicated volunteer service.
Bailey has been recognized with the prestigious National Point of Light Award, named one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, ranked on Atlanta Magazine’s POWER 100 list of the most dynamic leaders in the city, and honored by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential leaders in Georgia.
Bailey is a devoted member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, dedicated to the motto Service Above Self.
His remarkable board service includes roles on the Georgia Chamber and Metro Atlanta Chamber Board of Directors. He serves as a Board Director for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Invest Atlanta Foundation, as well as the founding Chairman of Citizens Trust Bank’s Next Generation Advisory Board.
Focused on education, Bailey serves on the University of Georgia Board of Visitors, as an Agnes Scott College Trustee, as a Board Director for the Atlanta Speech School, and on the Executive Board of the Veritas School of Social Sciences. He is a nationally recognized landowner and serves as a trustee for the Georgia Forestry Foundation. Bailey will launch the Black Land Institute in the fall of .
An esteemed graduate of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Atlanta, and the Regional Leadership Institute, Bailey has earned numerous accolades. Among them are the Whitney M. Young National Community Service Medallion, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service Award, the Maynard Jackson Community Impact Award, a Atlanta Business League Man of Influence, the Startup Atlanta Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Bernie Marcus Downtown Economic Impact Award. Bailey takes great pride in being a dedicated member of Alpha Phi Alpha and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
Bailey resides in East Atlanta with his beloved wife (NBC News correspondent Blayne Alexander) and their two cherished daughters.
TCP Cohort: Summer 2021 Goodwill of North Georgia Microsoft Azure
TCP Cohort: Fall 2023 Sam’s Club Tech Software Engineering
Mary Nichols two decades+ career has spanned leadership positions, customer support and success, data analysis, communications, administration, and independent media creation. She worked at the growing identity verification technology startup ID.me from 2019 to 2024.
Nichols currently serves as the technology, data, and operations manager for the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Nichols is a proud member of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. She is a D.J. and music producer. She passionately promotes education, technology, and the arts.
TCP Cohort: Fall 2022 Goodwill of North Georgia ServiceNow
Dana Priest is highly inquisitive: she enjoys constantly expanding her skills and learning new things. After working several years in the logistics and customer services fields, Priest was accepted to and completed Techbridge’s summer 2021 Azure cohort.
Through that opportunity, Priest was hired by DataWorks, a small company at the Georgia Institute of Technology. There she began as a data fellow/analyst. In the intervening two years, she has risen to the post of training coordinator.
Priest continues to diversify her skills in fields such as programming, data management, and data science. Priest is always open to new opportunities.
CIO — One Inc.
CIO — OneDigital
OneDigital CIO Marcia Calleja-Matsko oversees all company IT functions, including the strategic planning and execution of their technology services, and supporting their future growth.
With over 30 years of technology experience, Calleja-Matsko expertly leads a dynamic team of technology professionals dedicated to the continuous evolution of OneDigital’s industry-leading technology platform. Her leadership ensures the organization achieves its strategic business objectives efficiently and at scale.
OneDigital is a leading insurance, financial services, and HR consulting advisory firm.
President — THG Advisors
THG Advisors president Walt Carter has over twenty-five years in technology leadership roles.
Carter was previously the chief digital officer and CIO at Homestar Financial Corp., one of the nation’s top residential mortgage lenders. Prior to joining Homestar, Carter and his teams implemented technology changes for Primary Capital Mortgage, driving 205% growth in origination volume in just over two years.
Before that, Carter’s teams at Generation Mortgage received accolades from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Bloomberg, and MarketWatch for innovative use of technology as a key differentiator for the company.
Carter was named CIO of the Year in by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association and more recently has been named to the Constellation Research “Business Transformation 150” for . His book on change leadership, We Can’t Stay Here!, is an international best-seller.
One Inc. CIO Elizabeth Hoemeke has over 20 years’ experience in product development and information technology.
Hoemeke oversees the implementation of the company’s global IT strategy; leads all aspects of technology, Including cloud, product development, infrastructure services, and automation; drives transformation and innovation initiatives; and ensures the security of technology solutions in support of One Inc’s insurance partners and customers.
Prior to joining One Inc., Hoemeke was a senior vice president at U.S. Bank, leading a global organization of more than 300 associates in the United States, Philippines, Ireland, Poland, and India. She has also held senior leadership roles at Elavon Inc., First Data Corporation, and Equifax.
Hoemeke earned her Bachelor of Science in civil engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and is member of Leadership Atlanta and supports various non-profit organizations.
CEO — Canto
President— LogicSpree
John Robert DeShazer is a Salesforce leader with over 12 years of expertise. He has served on technology association boards, including Atlanta Technology Professionals, Technology Association of Georgia, Inspiredu, and the Salesforce Managed Services Provider Advisory Board.
Leveraging his extensive experience in , DeShazer founded LogicSpree, a premier Salesforce Partner renowned for its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Experience Cloud solutions. These services are tailored for the high-tech, professional services, and financial sectors.
LogicSpree’s mission is simplifying and scaling Salesforce for small and mid-market businesses. With a focus on streamlining business processes, improving data quality, and driving user adoption, they have earned the trust of more than 100 clients, earning a 5-star rating on the Salesforce AppExchange.
DeShaver has achieved Eagle Scout rank in The Boy Scouts of America and continues to support youth, education, and technology initiatives.
Co-Founder & CEO — The Honey Pot Co.
Beatrice Dixon is the co-founder & CEO of The Honey Pot Company. Learn more about The Honey Pot Company.
As an associate program and project manager at Accenture, Robinson-Jahi oversaw the cloud migration of over 100 warehouses, managing $11 million in budgets across multiple cross-functional teams.
Robinson-Jahi’s journey into tech was accelerated by TechBridge’s Technology Career Program, where she excelled in ServiceNow system administration and earned her CSA certification.
Robinson-Jahi is dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion within organizations. She welcomes connections with fellow IT professionals to exchange insights and drive positive change.
Robinson-Jahi is pursuing her AWS and Microsoft Azure certifications.
She enjoys exploring the U.S. and contributing to local nonprofits.
CEO — UpField Group
Mark Inkrott is a co-founder and partner of UpField Group, a strategy, financial consulting, and capital portfolio management firm. Inkrott has led the consulting arm of UpField Group’s agriculture, food, energy, and sports sectors for the last 15 years.
Prior to his business career, Inkrott was a professional athlete in the NFL and Europe, playing tight end for the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and Cologne Centurions. He earned undergraduate degrees in English and psychology from the University of Findlay and a Master of Business Arts degree with honors from Ohio Dominican University. He holds additional certificates in marketing and nonprofit business management from the University of Notre Dame.
Over the past three decades, Wain Kellum has led six software companies to successful exits, including his first company. He founded that company while in his twenties, first selling part of that business to Microsoft and then selling the entire business to HP.
Kellum has invested in early-stage companies and has served as a board member in over a dozen growth-oriented software companies. He is currently building out Canto, an AI-driven digital asset management company serving over 3000 organizations around the world.