Leading technology visionary and NanoLumens Chairman of the Board Fran Dramis is the recipient of the 2016 GeorgiaCIO Lifetime Achievement Award, according to an announcement made today by NanoLumens CEO Rick Cope. The annual awards presentation, produced by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association, recognizes the best-of-the-best among Georgia Chief Technology Officers, with the ceremony drawing more than 1,000 attendees representing more than 300 organizations throughout the state. This year’s event took place October 28, 2016 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We are honored but not surprised that Fran has been presented with this most prestigious award,” Cope said today. “We have been the beneficiary of his keen intelligence and far-sighted vision since 2011 and we are the technology leader we are today in large part because of the valuable strategic acumen he brings to our business and technology development initiatives. We are proud that Fran is part of our team!”
In accepting the award, Dramis noted that, “I am honored to receive the Georgia CIO Lifetime Achievement Award, and I’m proud to have played an important role in the development and growth of some of Georgia’s most innovative technology companies over the past several years. As a CIO I am always looking at the latest technologies with an eye toward the future, and I am as excited as I’ve ever been to see what the future holds for our great state as our industries continue to accelerate with bold new advances.”
As NanoLumens Chairman of the Board, Dramis helps the industry-leading pioneer of LED visualization solutions to maintain a forward-thinking internal technology structure that greatly contributes to the company’s continued success. In addition to his vital role at NanoLumens, Dramis also currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Catavolt. As CEO of F. Dramis LLC he founded, chaired, and chartered the IT committee of the board for US Oncology, one of the nation’s largest networks of integrated, community-based oncology practices dedicated to advancing high-quality, evidence-based cancer care.
This award adds to Dramis’ list of industry recognitions, which include receiving CIO Magazine’s CIO 100 Award in 1999 and being named one of the magazine’s Top 100 Leaders for the Next Millennium in 2000 — a prediction that has certainly held true. Computerworld also included Dramis in its list of Premier 100 IT Leaders in 2002.
Dramis spent much of his early career with AT&T, including projects with Bell Laboratories, the telecommunication company’s research and development wing — arguably the most effective laboratory for new ideas in the world. He also served as Managing Director and CIO of Salomon Brothers, president and CEO of Network Management Inc., and president and COO of Telic Corporation.
During Dramis’ tenure from 1998 to 2007, BellSouth’s information technology and security groups made it on to Computerworld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT five times, as well as being named one of 2004’s Top 10 in Computerworld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT for its Diversity, ranking 10th in InformationWeek’s 500 Most Innovative Users of Technology of 2005 and receiving CIO Magazine’s Enterprise Value Award in 2005.
Dramis has also authored two books: The CIO Handbook which details his unique methodology for aligning technology with the strategic direction of the organization, and Creating an Intentional Business Life that outlines his mentoring process in helping individuals, especially in the field of technology, chart a career path to a fulfilling business and personal life. He is a frequent speaker at technology and leadership forums, and at university EMBA sessions.
The Georgia CIO Leadership Association (GeorgiaCIO) is Georgia’s preeminent professional association for senior technology leaders. Founded in 2003, their membership is comprised exclusively of chief information officers (or individuals in equivalent positions) from public and private companies, government, education and non-profit organizations including a majority of the billion dollar organizations in the state.