Best of Texas Awards 2014

2014 Best of Texas Award Winners Announced at the Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin

Sacramento, CA - Bexar County, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Texas Department of Information Resources are among the winners of the 2014 Best of Texas Awards presented yesterday by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government during an Awards Reception at the annual Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin.

In its 13th year, the Best of Texas Awards program recognizes public-sector professionals and local government organizations for their dedication and contributions to advance information technology in Texas.

Highlights from the 2014 Best of Texas winners include:

• Bexar County’s BiblioTech, a bookless public library with 600 e-readers that patrons can use to access digital content from the cloud. The BiblioTech won best IT collaboration for bringing multiple public- and private-sector parties together to work on the technology infrastructure.

• Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Mobile Ticketing App (CapMetro), which allows rail and bus riders with smartphones to purchase and store transit passes on their devices. CapMetro includes maps and schedules and gives users real-time arrival transit information.

• The Department of Information Resources’ public-private partnership to establish the Pilot for Texas Cloud Offering, a two-year pilot to study how cloud services should be implemented in state government. The result is a cloud broker platform for statewide enterprise contracts.

“Congratulations to this year’s Best of Texas Award winners! We are honored to recognize these outstanding recipients for their achievements,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “They are effectively using new technologies including mobile apps, real-time analytics, and processes with increased accuracy and security to streamline operations and enhance services for the public.”

Winners are selected based on a number of criteria, including collaboration among agencies, innovative use of technology, economic benefits and improving public services and business processes. During the reception, 14 Outstanding IT Service and Support Awards also were presented to those dedicated to Texas public service. 

2014 Award Recipients:

Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management

Bridget Wolf, Application Development Manager 

Texas Parks and Wildlife 

Best Application Serving the Public 

• Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Unique ID, Texas Education Agency
• Voter Line Wait Mobile Application, Collin County

Best Application Serving an Agency’s Business Needs 

• Electronic Mileage System + (eMS+), Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
• Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR), City of Dallas

Best IT Collaboration Among Organizations

• Bexar County’s BiblioTech
• Pilot for Texas Cloud Offering (PTCO), Texas Department of Information Resources

Best In-House Developed Application 

• Active Felony Warrants GIS Application, Bexar County 
• FAST (Financial Allocation Study for Texas) Tracker, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Best Mobile/Wireless Project

• CapMetro Mobile Ticketing App, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Most Innovative Use of Social Media

• Tourism-Based Policing through Social Media, City of Arlington Police Department

For the govtech.com story on the winners, please visit http://www.govtech.com/state/2014-Best-of-Texas-Winners-Announced.html.

Outstanding IT Service and Support Award Recipients:

Recognizing the dedicated work of public servants who work day after day - as team members, team leads, IT project leads and managers - upholding the highest standards of public service.

• Debbie Athey, Special Projects Manager, Applications Development and Maintenance Department, Texas Workforce Commission
• Julie Buchanan, Network Engineer, Texas Department of Information Resources 
• Kevin Crockett, Assistant Managing Director, Telecommunications, Texas Tech University
• Laura Dennis, Application Services Manager, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
• Donna Dial, IT Budget Specialist, Texas Employee Retirement System
• Joe Faulk, Manager, Information System & Business Enterprise, City of Austin
• Todd K. Fuller, Project Manager, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
• Joe Happe, IT Systems Architect, Lower Colorado River Authority
• Scott Johnson, System Analyst VI, Texas Education Authority
• James Mabon, Senior Systems Support Specialist, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
• Claudette Mueller, Business Analyst, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Michelle Smallwood, Manager System Integration, Texas Office of the Attorney General
• Todd K. Starks, Director, IT Customer Service Help Desk, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Priya Venkatesan, Systems Analyst VI, Texas Employee Retirement System

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government.  

The Center for Digital Government is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation. See http://www.erepublic.com