ATLANTA, January 27, 2012 – PwC and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) today announced that the following technology professionals have been nominated as potential inductees into the 2011 Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia:

• H. Wayne Hodges - Vice Provost Emeritus, Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute
• Peter J. "Pete" Kight - Co-Chairman and Managing Partner, The Comvest Group
• Dr. Raymond F. Schinazi - Professor of Pediatrics and Chemistry and Director of the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology at Emory University

As the vice provost emeritus of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, Hodges has more than 30 years of experience in innovation, commercialization and incubation management. Prior to retirement, he was responsible for a comprehensive set of Georgia Tech services to help industry, entrepreneurs, communities and economic developers become more competitive through the application of science, technology and innovation, including as a founding member of the Advanced Technology Development Center, an internationally recognized technology incubator. Hodges also served as president of the Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures, which was formed to manage and develop the Technology Enterprise Park adjacent to the Georgia Tech campus. Hodges currently serves as executive director of the Global Center for Medical Innovation, and has served on the National Advisory Board for the U.S. Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Executive Committee for the Southern Growth Policies Board, as the president of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, and on the board of the Business and Technology Alliance.

Kight, co-chairman and managing partner of The Comvest Group, is considered a pioneer in financial services technology, specifically in electronic funds transfer, online banking, and electronic billing and payment. Kight was the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of CheckFree from 1981 until it was acquired by Fiserv in December 2007. Kight founded CheckFree in 1981 in his grandmother’s basement, with a vision of providing electronic funds transfer services to businesses and consumers. Under Kight’s leadership, CheckFree expanded its scope to multiple types of payments and processing infrastructures, leveraging business intelligence to detect and prevent fraud, electronic billing, reconciliation and operational risk management capabilities – through internal development and acquisitions. Today, those products and services have become pervasive globally, particularly the enablement of businesses and consumers to view, manage, and transact financial services online. Kight has received extensive recognition for innovation and leadership, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2007. Kight is a member of the board of directors of Akamai Technologies, Inc., and Fiserv, Inc.

Schinazi is the Frances Winship Walters professor of pediatrics and director of the laboratory of biochemical pharmacology at Emory University. He serves as senior research career scientist at the Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs and director of the scientific working group on viral eradication within the Emory University Center for AIDS Research. Schinazi is also adjunct professor of chemistry at Georgia State University. Schinazi is a leader in the area of nucleoside chemistry, having founded several biotechnology companies focusing on antiviral drug discovery and development, including Pharmasset Inc. (VRUS; acquired by Gilead in 2012 for $11 billion), Triangle Pharmaceuticals (VIRS; acquired by Gilead in 2003 for $482 million), Idenix Pharmaceuticals (IDIX; 51% acquired by Novartis in 2003), and RFS Pharma LLC. He has authored over 460 peer-reviewed papers and seven books, and has secured more than 90 issued U.S. patents. Schinazi’s inventions now sell more than $2 billion per year, and 94% of HIV-infected individuals take at least one of the drugs he invented. It is estimated that Schinazi’s work has saved over 3 million lives worldwide. His pioneering work on HCV has led to the discovery and development of curative therapies for this devastating disease that afflicts more than 3% of the US population. Drugs such as PSI-7977 and IDIX-184 are currently in phase 3 clinical trials and have changed the landscape for treatment modalities for HCV.

Through an online voting process, executives from Georgia technology companies will select one person as the 2011 inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. The inductee will be honored at the 2012 Georgia Technology Summit on March 28, 2012 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta. The nominees were selected by the current members of the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia.

According to John Nee, Leader of PwC's technology practice in Atlanta, “These three nominees are leaders in the technology industry. With their career achievements and contributions to the industry, they embody the spirit of innovation and leadership in which the spirit of the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia was created."

Tino Mantella, president and CEO of TAG added, “We are pleased to once again feature the 2011 Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia inductee at our annual Georgia Technology Summit. The Summit focuses on innovation and each of these nominees are representative of the innovative energy pulsing through the state’s technology community. "

The Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia was established in 1993 to recognize the achievements of outstanding members of Georgia's technology community. Each year, one inductee is chosen in recognition of his or her contributions to the technology industry in Georgia and impact on the state. PwC has been a lead sponsor of the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia since its inception and has collaborated with TAG recently to honor the inductee at the annual Georgia Technology Summit.

The Georgia Technology Summit is TAG’s flagship event that brings together C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia’s technology community. This year’s theme, Innovation: The Path to a Bright Future, builds upon TAG’s public awareness campaign to promote Georgia’s technology industry through an emphasis on the fastest-growing tech clusters in the state, including health IT, information security, financial technology, logistics and communication services. Whether ideating new technologies or simply embracing them, companies that innovate stand the best chance to be on the path to a brighter future. For more information about TAG and to register for the 2012 Georgia Technology Summit, visit www.tagonline.org/georgia-technology-summit.php.

About Technology Association of Georgia
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 14,700 members and hosting over 200 events each year. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 30 industry societies, each of which provides rich content for TAG constituents. TAG’s mission is to educate, promote, and unite Georgia’s technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances a tech-based economy. The association provides members with access to networking and educational programs; recognizes and promotes 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’s charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG’s community website at www.TAGthink.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit www.tagedonline.org/.

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