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Does Shiny New Tech Simplify How Government Delivers Services?

Missouri CIO Rich Kliethermes says effective citizen engagement means focusing on making interactions as easy as possible.

Rich Kliethermes
Missouri CIO Rich Kliethermes
Jessica Mulholland/Government Technology
State CIOs are thinking about a number of things when it comes to citizen engagement. For Rich Kliethermes, CIO for the state of Missouri, defining citizen engagement is pretty simple: "Providing services that make it as easy to do business with state government as possible." 

And the latest technology tool isn't necessarily part of the equation. "Just because something's new and shiny from a technology perspective doesn't mean that it makes that interaction with government better or easier," he added. 

Talking with Government Technology at the annual National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) conference last October, Kliethermes also pointed to an internal component of good government, stretching taxpayer dollars by making state employees as efficient as they can be. For example, the state is developing two mobile apps to streamline inspections of elevators and cosmetology licensees. 

Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.