AFFIRM honors Transportation's Matthews for leadership
Connecting state and local government leaders
The Association for Federal Information Resource Managers today honored Transportation Department CIO Dan Matthews with its most prestigious award.
Transportation Department CIO Dan Matthews considers himself a bricklayer. Actually, he considers every IT employee and contractor a member of the same bricklayers' union, and each time they cement a new brick'a piece of hardware or software'it builds up government's interaction with citizens.
Matthews said it takes leaders to turn straw and mud into bricks.
The Association for Federal Information Resource Managers today honored Matthews with its most prestigious award, the 25th annual executive leadership award in IRM.
'It is truly an honor for me,' Matthews told the luncheon audience. 'Most times IT is a burden, a hassle and not a lot of fun. But if you look at it up close, each time you add another brick to the stack, you see how IT is an important tool.'
Matthews said IT brings information to the citizens, from the Forest Service's tracking of firefighting equipment to put out wildfires to the Federal Aviation Administration's use of computer radar to watch over commercial flights. He said it is changing the way citizens do business with government and live their lives.
'Being a change leader is a grinding endeavor,' he said. 'We do it because it means something to our fellow citizens.'
AFFIRM handed out several other awards today:
- Legislative leadership'Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), chairman of the Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census
- Executive leadership for industry'Ira Kirsch, president of Unisys Corp.'s federal group
- Leadership in acquisition and procurement'Mark Krzysko, deputy director of Defense procurement and acquisition policy
- Leadership for service to the citizen'Kim Nelson, Environmental Protection Agency CIO
- Leadership in e-government'Mark Everson, IRS commissioner
- Leadership in service to the government IT community'Mary Mitchell, the General Services Administration's deputy associate administrator for electronic government and technology
- Leadership for service to the country'Homeland Security Department secretary Tom Ridge
- Leadership for innovative applications'Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call List
- Leadership in service excellence and management'Greg Hanson, Senate assistant sergeant at arms and CIO
- Outstanding service to AFFIRM'Annie Barr, GSA
- Web site development and support'Sam Dzirasa, president, Mirac Systems Inc. of Clinton, Md.
- Special appreciation'Clifton Gunderson LLP of Washington.
- President'Mike Sade, Commerce Department's director of acquisition management and procurement executive
- Vice-president'Ed Meagher, Veterans Affairs Department deputy CIO
- Co-vice-presidents, programs'Michelle Heffner, GSA, and Fred Thompson, Unisys
- Co-secretaries'Terry Weaver, GSA, and Ken Touloumes, Titan Systems Corp. of San Diego
- Co-treasurers'David Zeppierri, Justice Department, and Leslie Barry, Computer Associates International Inc.
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