NASCIO Recognizes State Chief Information Security Officers with Jarrett Scholarship

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SALT LAKE CITY, Ut., Monday, October 12 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) awarded the Thomas M. Jarrett State Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Scholarship to three deserving CISOs during the 2015 Annual Conference in Salt Lake City.
This is the third year for the scholarship program, which was created to pay homage to Thomas M. Jarrett, past president of NASCIO (2004 – 2005), for his passion for cybersecurity. The scholarship grants current CISOs the opportunity to attend the NASCIO Annual Conference.
The following individuals were selected to receive this year’s scholarship due to their dedication and leadership in cybersecurity:
Danielle Alvarez, Chief Security Officer, State of Florida
Since the establishment of the Agency for State Technology (AST) on July 1, 2014, Alvarez has been working diligently to develop strategy, policy, and process for the state of Florida. Alvarez has effectively operated in all major information technology (IT) silos, strategically positioning her to thread security into all operational platforms and processes. She is currently leading the Florida Cybersecurity Framework adoption effort, as well as the statewide Risk Assessment.  Alvarez’s scholarship nominator, Florida Chief Information Officer Jason Allison said “with Danielle leading these initiatives, Florida is directed to a more secure and resilient future.”
John Essner, Chief Security Officer, State of New Jersey 
Through Essner’s leadership, the state of New Jersey’s Executive Branch adopted and implemented the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, completed a strategic plan, and completed a risk assessment (GAP Analysis); Essner also initiated the precursor to the New Jersey Cybersecurity Integration Cell (NJCCIC) which provides a consolidated approach to cybersecurity. Essner has provided leadership for the Information Analysis Center, a training for state employees on their role in preventing negative cyber events, asset classification implementation and maintenance, cyber incident management and reporting, and mobile device management implementation and integration. New Jersey Chief Information Officer Steven Emanuel nominated Essner for this honor.
Bill Nash, Chief Information Security Officer, State of Wisconsin
Nash has been instrumental in Wisconsin’s transition to an enterprise-wide cybersecurity plan, producing a comprehensive enterprise security roadmap from the ground up.  As a leader, Nash focuses on empowering others to make decisions that protect the state. He was heavily involved in the rollout of the state’s cybersecurity awareness training program which provides state employees with fundamental cybersecurity concepts and steps they can take to protect state systems.  Nash was nominated for the scholarship by David Cagigal, chief information officer for the state of Wisconsin.
Learn more about the recipients at www.nascio.org/awards/tjcs.

NASCIO Recognizes Outstanding Achievement in State Government

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SALT LAKE CITY, Ut., Monday, October 12 — Eleven exemplary initiatives were chosen as recipients for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) 2015 Recognition Awards for outstanding achievement in information technology in state government.
Recipients were announced this evening during the NASCIO Annual Conference in Salt Lake City. This marks the 27th consecutive year NASCIO has honored outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector through the awards program.
“It has been a great privilege to co-chair the NASCIO Awards Committee,” said Oklahoma Chief Information Officer Bo Reese and Delaware Chief Information Officer James Collins in a joint statement. “The volume of quality submissions demonstrates the integral role information technology plays in delivering government services. Citizens are the ultimate beneficiaries of the impressive innovations occurring across the country.”
The 2015 awards recipients are as follows:
Cross Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
State of Colorado: Universal Application
Cybersecurity
State of Colorado: Secure Colorado: Achieving Quick and Sustainable Risk Reduction
Digital Government: Government to Business
Commonwealth of Virginia: Enhancing Customer Service through the Mobile Collectors Application
Digital Government: Government to Citizen
Commonwealth of Virginia: Electronic Death Registration and Birth Certificates on Demand
Disaster Recovery/Security and Business Continuity Readiness
State of Oregon: Oregon-Montana Disaster Recovery
Emerging and Innovative Technologies
State of Oregon: OReGO: Oregon Road Usage Charge
Enterprise IT Management Initiatives
State of Ohio: IT Optimization: Driving Business Value
Improving State Operations
State of Idaho: Internet Unemployment System (iUS)
Information Communications Technology Innovations
State of Minnesota: Connecting 100,000 Minnesotans with Jobs: Using Technology to Transform Government
Open Government Initiatives
State of Michigan: Enterprise Information Management
State CIO Special Recognition
State of North Carolina: North Carolina Innovation Center
Projects and initiatives from NASCIO member states, territories, and the District of Columbia were eligible for nomination. Recipients were selected by NASCIO’s Awards Committee from a field of more than 100 nominees. Learn more about the recipients at www.nascio.org/awards/sit.

NASCIO is a Proud Supporter of Health IT Week

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, October 8 — This October, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is joining hundreds of public and private sector organizations to participate in the 10th Annual National Health IT Week – October 5-9, 2015. National Health Information Technology Week 2015 offers all healthcare stakeholders an opportunity to unite under one banner, expressing the benefits that health information technology (IT) brings to U.S. healthcare, “One Voice, One Vision: Transforming Health and Care.”
Health information technology improves the quality of healthcare delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.
“Our participation again this year in National Health IT Week underscores NASCIO’s commitment to ensure health information technology is integrated, interactive, interoperable, and intelligent to provide the best patient outcomes,” said NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson. “Together, our efforts can have a stronger impact on the betterment of our healthcare system through information technology.”
Visit www.HealthITWeek.org for a full list of partners and updates on the week’s activities. Working together with our growing coalition of stakeholders, NASCIO is helping to transform healthcare for all.

NASCIO Observes Electronic Records Day

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Monday, October 5 — In an effort to raise awareness for the crucial role and importance of electronic records, on October 10 and the days leading up, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) will observe Electronic Records Day.
“The generation of digital data and creation of digital records in government continues to increase at an astounding rate,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. “We all must recognize the importance of managing and preserving records in this modern format which promotes greater accessibility of information for the public.”
E-Records Day was created by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) as part of its State Electronic Records Initiative. In recognition of its fourth year, CoSA will promote electronic records awareness leading up to October 10 and will place a special focus on electronic communications in government.
Join NASCIO and CoSA in raising awareness of digital records and the importance of their preservation among government agencies, professional organizations and stakeholders, as well as the general public. See CoSA’s Electronic Records Day page for more information and tips on managing e-records at www.statearchivists.org/seri/ElectronicRecordsDay.htm.

NASCIO Champions National Cyber Security Awareness Month

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, September 22 — In support of the 12th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and the National Cybersecurity Alliance, to promote cyber awareness, safety, and security during the month of October. 

To mark the annual awareness month, NASCIO today released its 2015 edition of the State Cybersecurity Resource Guide to observe the awareness, training, and educational initiatives available throughout the states. The updated guide includes new information from state technology offices and provides listings of state awareness programs and initiatives, links to state security awareness pages, and contact information for the state chief information security officer. 

“Cybersecurity remains a top issue for state CIOs and their staff,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director. “We applaud the states for their commitment to cyber awareness and for bringing attention to the importance of online safety and security by hosting and highlighting their own state programs and resources throughout the month of October.”

The 2015 NASCIO Cybersecurity Awareness Resource Guide, along with additional cybersecurity resources and advocacy efforts, may be found on NASCIO’s Cybersecurity Awareness resource page at www.nascio.org/cybersecurity. 

To learn more about participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month, please visit www.staysafeonline.org. 

NASCIO Issues Part II of Guidance for State CIOs on IT Accessibility

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The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released part II of a brief on accessibility in information technology (IT) procurement. Part I, released in July, 2015, introduced a new, policy-driven approach to information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility for state CIOs, procurement organizations, and vendors. Part II includes states in practice and adoption information for states.
NASCIO has long advocated for a broad interpretation of enterprise architecture and a governance model with a connection to business processes and a roadmap that informs both the state’s procurement of IT and the supplier community. One issue that has not received enough attention and is an imperative in today’s society is accessibility in ICT and the process to integrate these requirements in state government procurement.
“As significant buyers of information and communications technology, states have an obligation to set the public policy direction and the opportunity to stimulate the capabilities of the supplier community,” said NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson.
Policy-Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA) can help strategically drive a culture of accessibility, generating accessible products and services. The benefits of using PDAA tools include improving marketability and reducing risk to both vendors and procurement organizations by addressing inclusiveness and equal opportunity in the digital age.
Read the brief at www.NASCIO.org/PDAA.

NASCIO Recognizes Outstanding Achievements in State IT: Finalists Announced for 2015 NASCIO State IT Recognition Awards

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, August 11 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has selected 44 IT initiatives in 11 categories as finalists for the State IT Recognition Awards. This year’s high quality of nominations shows that states continue to innovate and achieve great results.

The prestigious awards program, in its 27th consecutive year, honors outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector. Four finalists have been named in each award category; one initiative per category will be announced as the award recipient at the upcoming NASCIO Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Projects and initiatives from NASCIO member states, territories, and the District of Columbia were eligible for nomination.  Finalists were selected by the NASCIO Awards Committee from a field of more than 100 nominees.

“Unlike many award programs that honor state IT projects, NASCIO awards are determined by peer review,” said James “Bo” Reese, CIO for the state of Oklahoma and Awards Committee co-chair.  “I believe this distinction is very meaningful to award finalists; it is a nod from your colleagues nation-wide that says you’re doing amazing work.”

“The importance of the awards program for state information technology at large is confirmed by the number of NASCIO members who take the time to volunteer as judges,” said James Collins, CIO of the state Delaware and Awards Committee co-chair.  “All of the nominations exemplify the vital, and often unsung, role IT plays in state government.  The judges have a tough job in narrowing them down.”

To ensure states can access the innovations and best practices of their peers, details about all nominated projects are posted on NASCIO’s website, www.NASCIO.org.

Awards finalists in the 2015 program are as follows:

Cross Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships
State of Colorado: Universal Application
State of Iowa: Iowa Property Tax Reform
State of North Dakota: Health Information Network
State of Ohio: Health & Human Services Transformation

Cybersecurity
State of Colorado: Secure Colorado – Achieving Quick and Sustainable Risk Reduction
State of Idaho: Cyber Security Program
State of Michigan: Michigan Cyber Disruption Response Strategy
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Advanced Cyber Analytics Improves Pennsylvania’s Cybersecurity Intelligence and Response Program

Digital Government to Business (G2B)
State of Kansas: Kansas Business Center
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Enhancing the State’s Healthcare Landscape through Trusted Information Exchange
State of Missouri: Geosciences Technical Resource Assessment Tool (GeoSTRAT)
Commonwealth of Virginia: Enhancing Customer Service through the Mobile Collectors Application

Digital Government to Citizen (G2C)
State of Arkansas: Mobile Filing System Enables Arkansans to Receive 172% More Unclaimed Property
State of Minnesota: MPARS Permitting and Reporting System
Commonwealth of Virginia: Electronic Death Registration and Birth Certificates on Demand
State of Washington: Customer-Focused Service Enhancements to Online Tax Filing System

Disaster Recovery/Security & Business Continuity Readiness
State of Delaware: Combined Disaster Recovery and Continuity of Operations Program
State of Oregon: Oregon-Montana Disaster Recovery Phases 1 & 2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: All Eyes – A Security Breach Exercise
Commonwealth of Virginia: Disaster Recovery/Continuity in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Emerging & Innovative Technologies
State of Colorado: PEAKHealth Mobile Application
State of Minnesota: Crowdsourcing Minnesota’s Unsession
State of Oregon: OReGO – Oregon Road Usage Charge
State of Washington: COBOL to Cloud – Transparent, Real-Time Change Detection and Data Exchange from On-Premises Legacy Mainframe System to Software as a Service

Enterprise IT Management Initiatives
State of Michigan: IT Investment Fund – Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability
State of Ohio: IT Optimization – Driving Business Value
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: PA Treasury Transformation and Modernization Project
Commonwealth of Virginia: Strategic Planning with Security as a Priority

Improving State Operations
State of California: Strategic Offender Management System Project
State of Idaho: Internet Unemployment System (iUS)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Preventing Healthcare Fraud through Predictive Modeling
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: PennDOT Mobile Highway Construction App

Information Communications Technology Innovations
District of Columbia: Citywide Wireless
State of Minnesota: Workforce One Re-write
State of Utah: Utah Hunting and Fishing
State of Wyoming: Wyoming Unified Network a Leap into a New Era

Open Government Initiatives
State of Michigan: Enterprise Information Management
State of North Dakota: North Dakota eTranscript System
State of Texas: Texas Open Data Portal
Commonwealth of Virginia: VA Roads – Virginia’s Portal for Map-Based Transportation Information

Special CIO Recognition Award
State of California: Project Academy Series
State of North Carolina: North Carolina Innovation Center
State of Oklahoma: IT Unification – Phase I
State of Washington: Prioritization of Information Technology Budget Requests

NASCIO Issues Guidance for State CIOs on IT Accessibility

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To mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released a brief on accessibility in information technology (IT) procurement. This is the first brief in a two-part publication on accessibility in procurement. Part II, to be released in August, will include states in practice and adoption information for states.

This initial brief introduces a new, policy-driven approach to information and communications technology accessibility for state CIOs, procurement organizations, and vendors. Policy-Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA) can help strategically drive a culture of accessibility, generating accessible products and services. The benefits of using PDAA tools include improving marketability and reducing risk to both vendors and procurement organizations by addressing inclusiveness and equal opportunity in the digital age.

“States have laws in place that apply to accessibility, but have often struggled to address accessibility requirements as part of IT procurements. State CIOs, working alongside state procurement officials, have a real opportunity to change the current accessibility landscape to better benefit the citizens they serve,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director.

NASCIO has long advocated for a broad interpretation of enterprise architecture and a governance model with a connection to business processes and a roadmap that informs both the state’s procurement of IT and the supplier community. This approach will inform the marketplace regarding the state’s policy intentions, guide investments, and reduce potential risks of poor outcomes.

Read the brief at www.NASCIO.org/PDAA.

Robinson Receives CoSA 2015 Advocacy for Archives Award

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Monday, July 27, 2015 — Doug Robinson, Executive Director of AMR client the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, has been honored by the Council of State Archivists as one of two recipients of CoSA’s 2015 Advocacy for Archives Award.

The award recognizes individuals providing strong support of state archives and records management programs as well as the work of the Council of State Archivists. Anne W. Ackerson, Executive Director of CoSA, said, “Doug has a deep understanding of the role of archivists and records managers as part of technology governance and operation. Additionally, he shares that understanding not only with members of his own organization, but also with other associations and government officials. He has been instrumental in providing information to state and local government archivists and records managers so that they can better understand the evolving technology landscape in the states.”

Robinson has been an enthusiastic participant and advisor on several important CoSA initiatives, serving on the advisory board for the Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) project and on the initial advisory board that helped formulate the areas of concentration for the State Electronic Records Initiative (SERI). “Doug has been an incredible leader for NASCIO and an asset for AMR for more than a decade,” noted AMR President and COO, Nick Ruffin, CAE. “This recognition serves to illustrate his continued commitment to educating and informing state leaders.”

Yejin Cooke Joins the National Association of State Chief Information Officers as Director of Government Affairs

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, July 23, 2015 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has welcomed Yejin Cooke as the new director of government affairs. In this role, Cooke will be responsible for advancing NASCIO’s federal advocacy agenda, policy positions, and strengthening the association’s alliances with key strategic partners. She will also work to ensure state chief information officer perspectives are represented in shaping federal legislation and policies on key state IT issues.

“Yejin’s background, skills and experience are ideal for representing our association and advocating NASCIO’s positions,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO executive director.

Cooke is formerly an associate legislative director at the National Association of Counties (NACo) where she managed a broad portfolio of issues related to telecommunications, broadband, FirstNet, cybersecurity, public safety, emergency management, and homeland security.

Cooke began her duties on July 15 and will be located in NASCIO’s Washington DC office at the Hall of States, 444 North Capitol Ave NW, Suite 642, Washington, DC 20001. She can be reached at [email protected].