ATLANTA – Oct. 15, 2026 –
The Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), an organization of more than 120 Georgia technology leaders, will honor Claire Lewis (Yum) Arnold, executive chair and co-founder of Leapfrog Services, with the 2026 John Imlay Leadership Award. The ceremony will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation at Shepherd Center.
The John Imlay Leadership Award recognizes and celebrates those who have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of the Georgia high-tech community. It is named in honor of the late John Imlay Jr., former chairman of Imlay Investments, who is credited with helping create two of Atlanta’s biggest tech industries — software and internet security.
Arnold has been a trailblazer in Georgia's technology and business communities for decades. In 1998, she co-founded Leapfrog Services, helping build one of the Southeast's leading managed IT and cybersecurity providers. As executive chair, she continues to guide the company's long-term strategy while advancing its mission of helping organizations securely leverage technology to achieve their goals.
Prior to starting Leapfrog, Yum acquired, through a leveraged buyout, a local distributor of consumer goods to convenience stores and mass merchandisers and spent the next 15 years building it into one of Georgia’s five largest privately held companies. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles in marketing, sales and strategic planning at Coca-Cola USA.
"Like John Imlay, Yum has spent her career helping organizations and people navigate change while investing in the long-term strength of Atlanta's technology community," said Kofi Conduah, TER president. "Her leadership has spanned business, technology, education and civic engagement, and her impact continues to be felt across generations of entrepreneurs and executives."
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Arnold has dedicated significant time and expertise to public service and community leadership. She currently serves or has served on the boards of organizations including Spelman College, The Woodruff Arts Center, The Carter Center, the Technology Association of Georgia, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where she served as board chair. She has also been a mentor and advocate for emerging leaders throughout Atlanta's business and technology communities.
“Having been involved in Atlanta’s technology community since 1998, it’s remarkable to reflect on its growth over the past 28 years,” said Arnold. “The dot-com era, followed by the dot-bomb, forced all of us to cut back, dig in and think creatively to survive. I believe that experience made us more cautious and resilient as we navigated one technology revolution after another.”
“Atlanta has continued to thrive, maintaining its leadership in computing and biotech through our unparalleled universities and business enterprises, which have remained steadfastly focused on cutting-edge technology innovation and deployment. Since I thrive in environments that require continuous learning, being part of this community has been both challenging and rewarding, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Past recipients of the John Imlay Leadership Award are:
For more information about the Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), visit www.ter-atlanta.com/
About Technology Executives Roundtable
Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) is one of the Southeast’s premier communities for technology C-suite leaders and institutional investors. Founded to support candid, peer-level exchange among Georgia’s technology executives, TER offers curated programming, strategic networking, and market insight focused on the opportunities and challenges of building and scaling technology companies. For more information about the Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), visit www.ter-atlanta.com/