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2010 Best of California Winners Announced

Winners of the Best of California awards program announced at Government Technology Conference West; Virginia gives STAR awards.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Winners of the Best of California awards program were announced Tuesday and Wednesday at Government Technology Conference (GTC) West. The awards recognize excellence in IT in the various agencies across state government.

The event was packed Tuesday afternoon with enthusiastic families and co-workers on hand to cheer on the winners. State CIO Teri Takai congratulated attendees for their dedication to public service. Below are the winners.

  • Kevin Hudgens - Board of Equalization
  • Dawn Larsen - Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
  • Jay Arendt - California National Guard
  • John Haskins - California National Guard
  • Ron Ralph - California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE)
  • Bruce McLeod - California Highway Patrol
  • Tim Brown - California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)
  • Renee Ostrander - CalPERS
  • Belinda Robbins - CalPERS
  • Andrew Nguyen - Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs
  • Spencer Beni - Department of Consumer Affairs
  • Elizabeth Swearinger - Department of Consumer Affairs
  • Caroline Bigelow - Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  • Ken Ritzman - Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  • Stephanie Haugen - Department of Finance
  • Chris Cox - Department of Food and Agriculture
  • Genevieve Guerrero - Department of Food and Agriculture
  • Mark Tyler - Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Trevor Bailey - Department of Personnel Administration
  • Denise Martinez - Department of Real Estate
  • Jeffrey Adge - Department of Social Services
  • Suzanne Slayton - Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
  • Robert Jarumay - Department of Water Resources
  • Ash Keval - Department of Water Resources
  • Patty Ketchum - Employment Development Department
  • Kin Lam - Employment Development Department
  • John Tremble - Employment Development Department
  • Susan Cadieux - Franchise Tax Board
  • Michele Robinson - Office of Information Security
  • Katrina Yang - Office of Information Security
  • Deb Wong - Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
  • Larry Baltezore - Office of Systems Integration
  • James Finch - Office of Technology Services
  • Calvin Matsumoto - Office of Technology Services
  • Robert Meza - Office of Technology Services
  • Jon Dickinson - Office of the State CIO
  • Bill Maile - Office of the State CIO
  • Debra Gonzales - State and Consumer Services Agency
  • Kathy Duke - State Controller's Office

Special Awards

California was scheduled Wednesday to present its Innovation and Vision Award to three government employees: California Department of Corrections Secretary Matthew Cate; Crystal Cooper, CIO of the California Health and Human Services Agency; and Chris Cruz, CIO of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

"Crystal and Chris have shown great leadership within their departments and across the executive branch as we work to help modernize and consolidate IT," Takai said in a blog post.

Award Winners at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency

Winners of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency's (VITA) annual STAR awards were also announced recently. Employees receive these awards for embodying VITA's values, according to the agency. Below is a list of the six winners.

  • Patricia Borinski - Executive Assistant, IT Investment and Enterprise Solutions
  • Jamey Doran - Financial Analyst, Finance and Accounting
  • Nadine Hoffman - Data Management Manager, Enterprise Applications Division
  • Ajay Rohatgi- Agency Outreach Manager, Enterprise Applications Division
  • Barbara Stewart - IT Specialist, Customer Services in Bristol Division
  • Zeta Wade - Customer Service Manager, Customer Service Project Management Organization
 

Andy Opsahl is a former staff writer and features editor for Government Technology magazine.