Rhonda Wilson, October 2004

More than a half-dozen public agencies and leaders in Texas were honored for their outstanding information technology (IT) innovations and contributions to the region by the Center for Digital Government at its 2004 Best of Texas awards program in October.

The Center's Best of Texas awards program was established three years ago to salute IT professionals in Texas state and local government organizations for their dedication, hard work and contributions. The winners are selected based on a set of criteria, including collaboration between agencies, innovative use of technology, and improvement of services to citizens or state employees.

Winners in each category of the 2004 Best of Texas awards program are:

Demonstrated Leadership in Management of IT: Hamid Khaleghipour, director of Information Services, Town of Addison

Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management: Peter Collins, chief information officer, city of Austin

Visionary Award: Michael A. Conduff, city manager, city of Denton

Most Innovative Use of Technology: GPS in the Parks, Harris County Information Technology Center

Best Application Serving a Public Organization's Business Needs: Texas Incident Management System, Texas Department of Public Safety

Best Collaboration Among Organizations: "The Prize" at the Port Coordination Center, Harris County Information Technology Center and Port of Houston Authority

Best Application Serving the Public: Crime Report Viewer, City of Austin Police Department

A special Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Mary Lauderdale, chief of the Department of Public Safety, for her vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to technology in state government.

The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a business division of e.Republic, publisher of Government Technology magazine and Public CIO journal.

For more information on the Best of Texas awards program or the Center for Digital Government, contact Rhonda Wilson, communications director, at 916/932-1321 or .