The summit, co-sponsored each year by MDIT and Government Technology magazine, recognizes outstanding individuals and programs that have made information technology (IT) contributions to the public sector. Over 400 state and local government IT professionals attended the conference and awards ceremony.
Hank currently serves as the chief administrative officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), where he oversees the bureaus of finance and administration, planning, aeronautics and freight services, and the operations of the International Bridge. He is also responsible for administering MDOT's $27 million IT budget.
In announcing the award, Takai cited Hank for his overall statewide leadership and support for information technology in his 31 years of service to state government. Hank serves on the Michigan Information Technology Executive Council (MiTEC) and he chairs the Council's security committee. He recently coordinated an upgrade of MDOT's security program, overseeing a team of professionals who developed new security approaches to protect MDOT's information systems.
"Leon is a strong leader who does whatever he can to support the wise use of information technology in government," Takai said. "He helps develop IT policy issues, he solves budget and finance problems, and he works behind the scenes to ensure MDOT builds solid business applications on time and under budget."
