Nextgov Launches Awards Program Honoring Innovative Use of Technology to Advance Government

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Government Executive Media Group today announced the launch of the Nextgov Awards, a new program designed to recognize federal professionals who have created innovative programs, policies or management practices that rely on technology to move government forward.

"When Nextgov launched in March 2008, we stated the goal of helping federal managers bring information technology out of the IT shop and into the government 'board room,' where it can inform policy decisions and help set agency strategies," explained Allan Holmes, Executive Editor for Nextgov. "To do that, government executives must step outside their comfortable confines to think and manage differently. They have to be bold. They have to take risks. We want to bestow the Nextgov Award to those public officials who have done just that."

In less than two years of existence, Nextgov.com has grown into the #1 federal technology web site, attracting more visits than any online destination dedicated to the federal technology community.(1) Nextgov's growth has been fueled by consistently breaking major federal technology stories as well as introducing innovative features and Web 2.0 tools for its users. Among notable citations, Nextgov's reporting was recently quoted on the Senate floor by Senator John McCain.

Nominations for the Nextgov Awards are being accepted now through March 12th at www.nextgov.com.  To judge the nominations, Nextgov has assembled a panel of respected leaders within the federal technology community, including:

• Alan Balutis, Director of the Internet Business Solutions Group at Cisco Systems, Inc. and former CIO at the Commerce Department
• Dan Chenok, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Pragmatics Inc. and former Branch Chief for Information Policy and Technology in the Office of Management and Budget
• Ira Hobbs, Founder of Hobbs & Hobbs LLC and former CIO at the Treasury Department
• Don Kettl, Dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland
• Ellen Miller, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation
• Dan Mintz, Chief Technology Officer for the Civil and Health Services Group at Computer Sciences Corp. and former CIO at the Transportation Department
• Molly O'Neill, Vice President at CGI Federal and former CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency
• Anne Reed, President and CEO of Acquisitions Solutions Inc. and former CIO at the Agriculture Department

"Nextgov Award winners will have shown an ability to contend with numerous risks -- entrenched bureaucratic interests, apathetic colleagues and political minefields -- to push their ideas through. And they have the results to show for it," summarized Holmes.

Winners of the Nextgov Award will be honored at a special luncheon in May, 2010 at Gov 2.0 Expo in Washington, D.C.  Gov 2.0 Expo is co-produced by O'Reilly Media and TechWeb.

About Nextgov

Nextgov.com is the #1 federal technology web site, attracting more visitors than any web site dedicated to the federal technology community.(1)  Nextgov.com is designed as a meeting place for government and industry managers to share insights on deploying IT successfully to achieve agency missions. The Nextgov.com community is lead by Executive Editor Allan Holmes and features exclusive reporting by leading technology journalists such as Bob Brewin. Visit www.Nextgov.com.

About Government Executive Media Group

Government Executive Media Group is the premier media resource for federal managers and the #1 marketing platform for federal contractors.  The magazine and related online, events and research properties cover the entire spectrum of management challenges confronting federal executives across civilian and defense agencies.  For more information, visit www.GovernmentExecutive.com or www.nextgov.com.

Contact: Will Colston 202.266.7423

(1) Compete.com, December 2009 & Market Connections, Inc. Federal Media Habits Study, 2009-2010.

SOURCE Nextgov