AeA Southeast Council Honors Senator Hill, State CIO Moore
Pair Receives 2007 Technology Policy Leadership Awards; Jon Van Duyne Named 2008 Chair Of Regional Technology Group

Alpharetta, GA (Feb. 21, 2008) - Sen. Judson Hill, (R-Marietta) and Patrick Moore, Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority and the state’s CIO, are the recipients of the 2007 Technology Policy Leadership Awards from the Technology Leadership Coalition (TLC) which is the governmental affairs arm of the AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), Southeast Council.

“Sen. Hill and CIO Moore have been strong supporters of the Georgia technology community and their leadership has been instrumental in helping the state to raise its profile as a major technology center in the country,” said Jeff Katz, CEO of Definition6 and Chair of the Technology Leadership Coalition.

The TLC awards, given in 2006 to Katz and Hannah Heck, Director of Policy, Office of the Governor, go annually to a government official and technology executive who have demonstrated exceptional efforts on behalf of the technology industry within Georgia.

"The AeA does great work to create a better and more attractive environment for high tech industries in Georgia,” said Sen. Hill. “We must do everything we can to make Georgia a leading high tech state."

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Technology Leadership Coalition, and I appreciate the award,” said Moore. “The coalition does an outstanding job of promoting technology for the benefit of the state, and I look forward to continuing to work with its members to realize even greater benefits for Georgia.”

During this year’s Georgia legislative session, the TLC is supporting Senate Bill 80 which authorizes the state employees’ retirement system to invest in alternative investments like venture capital funds which are the key financial source for many technology companies. Georgia is the only state in the country that does not allow state pension funds to be invested in alternative investments.

According to the PwC Money Tree, in 2006, over 90 percent of venture capital investments made in “later stage” Georgia companies came from outside the state, increasing the likelihood that the companies along with jobs and intellectual capital could be moved to another state. In addition, according to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, California, which allows alternative investments, had pension investments returns that were 50 percent higher than Georgia in 2004.”

“It is imperative that we pass Senate Bill 80 so that Georgia can be on equal footing with the rest of the country,” said Jon Van Duyne, 2008 Chair of the AeA SE Council. “Private equity investments like venture capital keep homegrown startups in place. Senate Bill 80 will create jobs, earn better pension returns and build a more robust technology industry across Georgia.”

In 2006, the TLC helped pass an historic teleworking bill that, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue, has generated approved tax credits for 135 employers of nearly $2 million. The businesses will take the tax credit when they file their 2008 tax return.

Georgia is the only state in the country that offers tax credit for teleworking. The SE Council, TLC, and TLC lobbyist, Cathy Woolard, was recently recognized by the AeA for its leadership in helping to develop and pass this innovative legislation.

Van Duyne, who previously served as CEO of CAS Americas, was named to lead the AeA SE Council in January. The SE Council services companies based in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

The organization also announced four new members of its board: Jonathan Pine, CEO, Renova Technology; Rob Stewart, CEO, The Quality Group; Stan Burnette, CEO, Burnette Insurance; and William Marks, Senior Vice President, Fleishman-Hillard.

“We are so pleased that someone with Jon’s strong leadership abilities will lead the AeA SE Council in 2008,” said Sandy Hofmann, CIO in Residence of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and COO, Closets and More, who served as the 2007 chairperson of the group. “We also very excited to have Jonathan, Rob, Stan, and Bill join our board and look forward to their contributions to programs and activities.”

Other members of the AeA SE Council board of directors are: Paul Domorski, CEO, EMS Technologies (National Board; Jim Harper, Partner, FOCUS Inc.; Chuck Wilson, Senior Partner, McKenna Long Aldridge LLP; Jonathan Bragdon, President and COO, Tricycle; Richard Brock, CEO, FirstWave Technologies; Steve Foster, Urban Advisor, Community & Economic Development, Georgia Power Company; Norm Geddes, CEO, Applied Systems Intelligence; Price Harding, President, CarterBaldwin; Carol Henderson, Director of Science & Technology, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Sandy Hofmann, CIO in Residence, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) & COO, Closets and More; Robert Horne, President, CCC Inc.; Randy Keith, CEO, Serenic Corporation; Richard Kopelman, Partner, Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP; Dan McDade, President, PointClear; Robert Shults, Strategic Public Sector Programs, Intel; Perry Tanner, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, EMS Technologies; Iain Urquhart, Managing Director, Industry Solutions Organization, Microsoft.


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AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit www.aeanet.org.

This page was last updated on 02/21/08.