White House Recognizes Local Technology Leaders
Considering the fact that local governments have IT budgets that are only a fraction of the amount federal agencies allocate to IT, it’s no surprise that city and county leaders dream up some of the best ideas for serving citizens.
The White House recently recognized 13 leaders as Champions of Change for fostering a more open and innovative government:
“Whether making local government information and public data more accessible; creating local environments to encourage and support entrepreneurs; or developing workforce programs to provide residents with skills for the high-tech economy, these Champions of Change have worked tirelessly to build a better future for the citizens they serve, create jobs in their community, and ensure more efficient and effective government,” said the announcement.
The honorees:
- Phil Bertolini, Chief Information Officer and Deputy County Executive, Oakland County, Mich. (Bertolini shared his thoughts with StateTech about the power of crowdsourcing among citizens and how to make websites accessible to mobile users.)
- Mary Bunting, City Manager, Hampton, Va.
- Adel Ebeid, Chief Innovation Officer, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Michael Flowers, Analytics Director, New York City, N.Y.
- Carolyn Hogg, Chief Information Officer, Fresno, Calif.
- Michele Hovet, Deputy City Manager, Arvada, Colo.
- Nigel Jacob, Co-Chair for the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Boston, Mass.
- Doug Matthews, Chief Communications Director, Austin, Texas
- Jay Nath, Chief Innovation Officer, San Francisco, Calif.
- Chris Osgood, Co-Chair for the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Boston, Mass.
- John Tolva, Chief Technology Officer, Chicago, Ill. (Tolva spoke to StateTech about social media, his plans for Chicago and the future of IT.)
- Dr. Ted Smith, Chief of Economic Growth & Innovation, Louisville, Ky.
- Rob White, Director of Economic Development, Livermore, Calif.
