California Public Agencies Honored for Excellence in IT

Best of California 2003 awards will be presented this month to more than a dozen public agencies and leaders for their dedication, hard work and contributions in the area of information technology (IT) by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on IT policy in government and education.

In October, all state government organizations in California were invited to submit nominations to the Best of California 2003 Awards Program. An evaluation committee reviewed the submissions and selected winners in the leadership and development categories based on criteria that included collaboration between agencies, innovative use of technology, and the improvement of services to citizens or state employees.

"California is home to more than 34 million people. Technology plays an instrumental role in serving these residents," said Cathilea Robinett, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. "However, it is the state's IT leaders who are the real champions making it all happen. It starts with their vision, then leads to the development and implementation of the strategic plans that ultimately benefit the people. I congratulate the 13 public agencies and their leadership for earning the Best of California titles. Each is very deserving of this distinguished award."

The Best of California 2003 leadership and development awards go to:

Demonstrated Leadership in Management of Information Technology:
Alan Friedman, CIO, Department of Parks and Recreation

Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management:
Christine Dunham, Assistant Director, Systems Integration Division, Health and Human Services Data Center

Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management:
Theresa Aguilar Finger, Cal-EASI Project Manager, Department of Corporations

Visionary Award:
Demetrios A. Boutris, California Corporations Commissioner, Department of Corporations

Sustained Excellence in Technology:
Health and Human Services Data Center

Sustained Excellence in Technology:
Chancellor's Office Management Information Systems Data Collection, California Community Colleges

Best Application Serving a Department or Agency's Business Needs:
Transportation Operations and Project Support System, CalTrans

Best Application Serving a Department or Agency's Business Needs:
Web Self-Services, CalPERS

Best Application Serving the Public:
AMBER Alert System, California Highway Patrol

Best Application Serving the Public:
Electronic Benefits Transfer Project, Health and Human Services Data Center

Best IT Collaboration Among Agencies:
Legacy Child Support System Rewrite, Department of Justice and Department of Child Support Services

Most Innovative Use of Technology:
Parks Wireless Networks, Department of Parks and Recreation

Most Innovative Use of Technology:
Digital Highway Inventory Photography Program, CalTrans

For more information on the Best of California, contact Rhonda Wilson at 916/932-1321 or rwilson@centerdigitalgov.com.