LANSING – The Third Annual Michigan Digital Government Summit, which concluded October 13, had a new twist this year ? a statewide Michigan Excellence in Technology Awards Program.
The program was established to salute Michigan’s technology professionals and managers for outstanding achievement. Agency heads throughout the state submitted award nominations, with a formal Nomination Committee reviewing each submission and selecting a winner in each category.
And the envelopes please:
Demonstrated Leadership in Management of Information Technology
David Behen, Director of IT, Washtenaw County
Recognized for leading a dramatic restructuring of IT in Washtenaw County which included reducing IT staffing by 20 percent, improving customer satisfaction to above 90 percent, and delivering 95 percent ogf projects on time and on budget.
Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management
Aparna Agrawal, Technical Services, Michigan Department of Information Technology
Recognized for consolidating the state’s GroupWise e-mail system reducing 330 servers statewide to just 70 servers.
Louis G. Burgess, Grants Coordination & Administration, Michigan Department of Education
Recognized for leading the MEGS system project which today supports more than 30 grant programs distributing more than $1 billion to Michigan organizations.
Visionary Award
L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive
Recognized for leading Oakland County into a time of unprecedented and robust economic growth, using technology as a primiary tool to the way Oakland County provides government services.
Frank Cambria, Washtenaw Deputy County Administrator
Recognized for championing the Washtenaw County’s e-goverment initiatves, implementing technology befitting of world class public service.
Ms. Viji Murali, CIO, Western Michigan University
Recognized for instituting technology that brought Western Michigan University into the limelight as the first campus to go wireless in 2002. Western Michigan University is ranked as the 8th “Most Unwired Campus” in the country.
Best Application Serving a Public Organization?s Business Needs
Electronic Fire Inspection, City of Portage
Recognized for their advanced technological system for the fire inspection process, capturing inspection information on handheld wireless devices.
e-Discharge Monitoring Reporting, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Recognized for electronic discharge monitoring reports of Michigan’s wastewater facilities.
Vital Records, Macomb County
Recognized for a new vital records system that allows for easier entry of information.
Best Application Serving the Public
PayLocalTaxes.com, Oakland County
Recognized for developing an online service enabling citizens of Oakland County to pay local property taxes via the web.
Hot Spots Cool City, Grand Rapids
Recognized for bringing wireless broadband to the city of Grand Rapids.
Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT), Michigan State Police
Recognized for creating a criminal history tool that allows the general public to view Michigan conviction online, and allowing employers to conduct pre-employment background checks.
Best IT Collaboration Among Organizations
Federal Collaboration, Kent County, Grand Rapids and 18 others
(Award went to Kent County and Grand Rapids as representatives of the group)
Recognized for collaboration so that governments within West Michigan can share information with businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions.
Most Innovative Use of Technology
Paperless Board Meetings, Canton Township
Recognized for developing a paperless process for board meetings, eliminating thousands of pages of paper each meeting.
