Awards
The Icons of TAG award honors leaders whose innovation, leadership, and service have made lasting contributions to Georgia’s technology landscape. This recognition celebrates the individuals whose vision and dedication helped shape Georgia into a global tech powerhouse – and whose impact continues to strengthen the state’s innovation economy.
2024 Icons of TAG Recipients
Honored during TAG’s Silver Jubilee Black Tie Gala in December 2024, celebrating 25 years of TAG.
The Icons of TAG award recognizes individuals whose contributions have helped build Georgia’s technology ecosystem and strengthen TAG’s ability to convene, connect, and accelerate the state’s innovation economy. Honorees reflect a legacy of leadership, collaboration, and service that continues to shape Georgia’s future.
Icons of TAG are presented during milestone celebrations and special recognition moments, including TAG’s Silver Jubilee Black Tie Gala in December 2024, commemorating 25 years of TAG.
Chief Information Officer
Clark Atlanta University
Brian Benn leads the development and execution of innovative technology solutions that advance Clark Atlanta University’s mission of providing an exceptional education. His background includes serving as a rocket scientist at NASA, reflecting a deep technical foundation and passion for innovation.
Brian has been instrumental in providing leadership to TAG’s social justice and equity initiatives – including improving diversity on TAG’s board and broadening TAG’s membership. He helped launch TAG’s Bridge Builders program, which fosters inclusion and empowerment within the technology sector, and in 2023 became the first Black technologist to serve as Chair of TAG’s Board. He also played a key role in the development and success of TAG’s societies across the state, further strengthening Georgia’s tech landscape.
Former Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff
Secureworks
Stacie Hagan is a technology services executive known for aligning talent and strategy for scalable growth. She has led major business transformations, including shifts from B2C to B2B and from services to software, with a focus on innovation, operational excellence, and human capital as a competitive advantage.
Stacie served as a board member and executive committee leader for TAG for many years, including as Board Chair in 2016. In that role, she led the CEO search and oversaw the smooth leadership transition from Tino Mantella to Larry Williams. After retiring from her corporate role in 2020, she co-chaired TAG’s first Social Justice & Equity task force – now a standing committee – which helped launch the TAG Bridge Builders Initiative.
Chief Strategy Officer, Relevantz & President and Managing Partner, Retained
Former President and CEO, TAG
Tino Mantella has been a pivotal figure in Georgia’s tech community for more than a decade, with a track record of building and scaling organizations that strengthen the ecosystem. He currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Relevantz and is President and Managing Partner of Retained, an executive search firm specializing in senior technology and nonprofit leadership roles.
As President and CEO of TAG for 12 years, Tino played a key role in growing TAG’s membership from 350 to 36,000 members and helped launch the TAG Education Collaborative and the National Security Coalition. He also played a pivotal role in the creation of Venture Atlanta. These accomplishments helped Georgia become one of the top five technology states in the nation, shaping TAG into the influential entity it is today.
Managing General Partner
Noro-Moseley Partners
Allen Moseley is a venture capital leader whose firm, Noro-Moseley Partners, invests in technology-driven solutions across sectors including supply chain, cybersecurity, and healthcare. With a strong focus on entrepreneurial growth, the firm has remained a recognized venture capital leader in the Southeast.
Allen has been a key part of Atlanta’s venture capital community since 1998 and has played a critical role in shaping the city’s entrepreneurial landscape. He served as Chairman of the Technology Association of Georgia in 2006, fostering growth and collaboration across the state’s technology community. He was also one of the founders of Venture Atlanta and its first Chair, and served on the board of the Georgia Research Alliance.
Managing Partner
Mosley Ventures
Sig Mosley is the Managing Partner of Mosley Ventures, investing in early-stage technology companies and supporting entrepreneurs across the region. Over the past few decades, his strategic insights and investments have contributed significantly to Atlanta’s emergence as a thriving hub for technology and entrepreneurship.
Sig was one of the original board members of the Technology Association of Georgia and was instrumental in its inception. His leadership helped lay the foundation for TAG, which has grown into one of North America’s largest and most influential technology associations. Through his continued commitment to Georgia’s tech community, Sig remains a driving force in advancing innovation and economic growth.
Co-Chairman, Morris, Manning & Martin
John Yates is a pioneer in technology law who launched Morris, Manning & Martin’s technology practice more than 38 years ago. He has represented more than 1,000 technology companies, providing legal and corporate services to startups, growth-stage businesses, and investors. His expertise has been featured in major publications and cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.
As a co-founder of the Technology Association of Georgia, John has been a key figure in growing TAG into one of North America’s largest and most influential technology organizations. He was TAG’s first “Leader of Influence Award” recipient and was honored with TAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 for his lasting impact on Georgia’s tech community.
Georgia’s technology ecosystem is the result of decades of leadership that connected talent, technology, and business – and created the conditions for companies and communities to grow. The Icons of TAG award matters because it:
Recognizes foundational leadership that helped build Georgia’s tech community and accelerate statewide innovation
Celebrates service to TAG and the leaders who strengthened the organization through governance, growth, and program-building
Highlights ecosystem builders – the connectors, investors, and advocates who expanded opportunity and helped Georgia’s tech sector scale
Inspires what comes next by honoring models of leadership that prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and long-term impact
Icons of TAG recipients are selected based on extraordinary, long-term contributions such as:
Advancing Georgia’s innovation economy through leadership, investment, or ecosystem building
Transforming or strengthening TAG through board service, strategic growth, and program development
Expanding access and opportunity through inclusion-focused initiatives and community leadership
Creating durable impact that helps technology companies and talent thrive statewide
