"With so many outstanding nominees, choosing the award winners was not easy," said New Jersey's CIO and CTO Charles S. Dawson.
The award winners are listed below by category:
Demonstrated Leadership in Management of Information Technology
As Chief Information Officer for Monmouth County, Bob Williams is leading the charge in the implementation of the latest technologies. For example, Williams was one of the first to implement a fiber network in N.J. county government. Under his leadership, Monmouth County leveraged its gigabit Ethernet backbone to become one of the first counties to install IP telephony. Williams also was the driving force for the development of an e-recording system for N.J. county clerks. This Monmouth County shared services offering is now being used by 10 counties. It is one of the first multi-jurisdictional systems in the nation.
As Chief Technical Officer of the Department of Human Services, Lou Marino oversees the information technology needs of the largest state agency and its business partners. In addition to his strong technical skills, Marino brings a supportive, good-humored approach to the daily struggles and issues of the department. He cares about improving the lives of those served by the Department of Human Services. His colleagues across the state recognize not only his expertise, but his support for the state for New Jersey.
Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management
Through the Human Resources Paper-to-PC project, Middletown Township implemented a new electronic time-keeping system -- E-time --- and updated the town's payroll and records management system. Going from paper to PC transformed the way the township kept employee time records for the last decade. All the information in the new system had to be correct, secure, and reliable. The goal was to decrease the time spent processing employee time records from one hour to five minutes. Once the system was in place, the group was able to provide totally new reports. The transition from paper to PC was smooth and well-received.
Jim Bridgewater of the Department of Environmental Protection has served as project manager for the New Jersey Environmental Management System -- NJEMS -- since its inception in July 1999. His strong project management skills have been an incredible asset to the department. His endless energy and enthusiasm were critical to the implementation of NJEMS. Bridgewater juggles many NJEMS efforts at one time. As a result of his work, DEP provides data to state and local government partners within New Jersey and nationally.
Visionary Award
Danny Hill has made tremendous strides in advancing the use of technology as CIO of the City of Newark. Newark's infrastructure has evolved from a few stand-alone computers to a wide-area network connecting a dozen buildings and supporting over 1,500 users. Forward thinking, Hill has demonstrated excellence in anticipating the future needs of the city. He built an infrastructure that offers scalability and created an environment that fosters adaptation and growth. Among Hill's various successes are: a web-based IT management system, a state-of-the-art computer-training center, remote network access for authorized employees, and new Internet and intranet sites.
As the Director of Unemployment Insurance for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, David Socolow directs one of the largest technology-based initiatives in state history. NJ SUCCESS is a comprehensive, integrated, Web-based solution that includes document management, imaging, workflow, telephony and infrastructure. This initiative will modernize the delivery of unemployment insurance benefits services. Socolow has an in-depth knowledge of the technologies underlying NJSUCCESS. Through his leadership, NJSUCCESS will provide revolutionary improvement in the provision of unemployment benefits to the citizens of New Jersey.
Best Application Serving a Public Organization's Business Needs
Sponsored and centrally hosted by Monmouth County, the eRecording Portal is a shared service offering that facilitates the electronic recording of real property documents with multiple county clerk offices in the state. The portal provides a common, secure, user-friendly interface. Available to all counties in New Jersey, it has already been adopted by Monmouth, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Mercer, Ocean, and Passaic. The success of New Jersey's eRecording Portal approach has received national attention among county clerks and recorders. The eRecording Portal is now being considered by multiple states, including Pennsylvania.
The Newark Document Express (NDEX) has streamlined and reengineered citywide business practices for public and private documents. NDEX, an electronic document management system based on Xerox DocuShare, will optimize information flow and enable business process collaboration among employees and agencies. It will expedite filing and retrieval and allow the online publication of documents to citizens. The system eliminates the need for a dedicated scanning infrastructure, creating significant cost savings for the city.
The Unusual Incident Reporting and Management System (UIRMS) is an electronic way of collecting, reporting, and analyzing information about unusual incidents that occur in more than 30 Human Services facilities. Incidents are reported by risk managers to facility, divisional, and departmental management via the UIRMS system. The system allows staff to respond more quickly to incidents, speed the investigation response, and resolve and analyze the data for statistical and quality assurance. Prior to UIRMS, all incidents were reported on paper forms that were then faxed to the various offices. This was a slow, clumsy method, and client confidentiality could not be assured. UIRMS has revolutionized how DHS handles incidents.
Best Application Serving the Public
The New Jersey Housing Resource Center (NJHRC) is a free, online housing information clearinghouse. NJHRC includes an easy-to-use, searchable registry of affordable housing and/or housing with accessibility features located throughout N.J. It also includes a comprehensive collection of links that address numerous housing-related questions, issues, and programs. The HRC has completely changed how consumers find affordable housing in New Jersey. It ensures that the listed units are available. Property owners are required to update their inventories every two weeks. Consumers search for available units proactively, instead of waiting to be assigned one.
New Jersey Municipal Courts Direct, the judiciary's first Internet information and payment center, has increased customer service and improved efficiency in the state's 532 municipal courts. This new public Web site provides citizens with a convenient way to access municipal court information and pay moving and parking tickets online. The NJMCdirect site is the cornerstone in the judiciary's effort to meet the growing demand of citizens for online services. More than three million payable offenses are filed annually in New Jersey's municipal courts.
NJHelps is an online, multilingual screening tool that allows consumers to determine their eligibility for a variety of Human Services programs. The application was built to improve consumer access to critical programs and positively impact their application experience. Consumers can learn about various programs, print documentation requirements or local contact information and link directly to online applications. More than 42,000 screenings have been completed since the July 2004 release. Between 80-90 percent of the users have been found eligible for at least one public assistance program.
Best IT Collaboration Among Organizations
The Electronic Court Disposition Reporting system (E-CDR) is the nation's first statewide system that processes criminal complaints from arrest through disposition. It was forged by collaboration among the judiciary's Municipal Court Services Division and Information Technology Office, the New Jersey State Police, and local law enforcement. This innovative project facilitates the right to a speedy trial. E-CDR provides a real time connection to statewide Judiciary systems to improve performance.
Most Innovative Use of Technology
Middletown Township's Fire and First Aid Computer-Aided Dispatch has improved emergency response time for 11 volunteer companies and five first aid squads. The public has greatly benefited from the improved response times for emergency calls. Less time is now lost calling dispatch for repeat addresses, incident details or other information. The project has also generated substantial cost savings.
i-MapNJ ArcIntelligence provides an easy way for the Department of Environmental Protection to view environmental data and perform basic analysis in an area of concern. i-MapNJ integrates the ArcIMS mapping application with the DEP's WebIntelligence reporting system. The integration of these applications has created a powerful tool that benefits everyone in the organization. i-MapNJ is a browser-based, desktop application, giving DEP employees access to a wealth of information. i-MapNJ allows for the development of program specific profiles, serving customized versions of the application to a number of DEP programs.
