Strong Momentum for CompTIA's Public Sector Councils One Year after Corporate Rebrand

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the technology industry, reports strong momentum in its Public Sector practice one year after a corporate rebrand that included fully integrating TechAmerica's public sector member base and expertise.

Membership in CompTIA's three public sector councils has grown by better than 25 percent from Q1 2015 to Q1 2016.

"Our public sector councils are expanding their engagement and influence with their constituencies, whether it's helping state and local governments understand how to best leverage technology to better serve their citizens; or promoting innovation within the commercial, civil and national security aspects of the space industry," said Nancy Hammervik, senior vice president, industry relations CompTIA.

"Equally important, we've experienced great success in connecting our public sector members with the broader CompTIA membership as we fulfill our mission of advancing the technology industry by helping companies build and grow their businesses," she added.

CompTIA's three Public Sector Councils – the State and Local Government and Education Council,  Human Services Information Technology Advisory Group and Space Enterprise Council  – serve as collaborative sources of knowledge for CompTIA members and the wider industry, offering guidance and support to grow business opportunities. Members engage in meaningful dialogue with program leaders and elected officials while effectively monitoring key administrative and legislative issues that affect their ability to do business.

State and Local Education Council (SLED)

In the past year, CompTIA's SLED Council has driven several member-led initiatives focused on advancing the state and local government and education market, including developing state procurement committees in California and Texas. Both committees are working to effectively create the best possible environment for successful IT procurements and weigh in on legislation and policies that help government implement rules and regulations to improve the use of technology in those states. In addition to addressing procurement slowdowns in Texas, the SLED Council is participating in procurement reform working groups in Maryland and Idaho. The SLED Council is also revising procurement principles for use when CompTIA members engage with government partners.

The council, in partnership with the National Association of State CIOs and Grant Thornton, is participating in the Annual State CIO Survey of state government IT leaders on current issues, trends and perspectives. The 2016 report will be released later this year.

"We're excited at the progress our SLED Council has made," said Jennifer Saha, director, public sector councils, CompTIA. "With CompTIA's membership serving as influential partners, governments across the country are implementing laws and policies that necessitate changes within existing procurement systems."

The SLED Council has participated in a great number of influential events, including a CIO panel on harnessing big data in the public sector that was part of the 2016 CompTIA Annual Member Meeting.

The council is also leading other events at the National Association of State Technology Directors conference in August and the Educause conference in October. This month the SLED Council will lead a panel discussion at the XChange SLED conference in Atlanta on how the Internet of Things will impact smart communities.

Health and Human Services IT Advisory Group (HSITAG)

HSITAG, which serves as a collaborative source of knowledge, educational outreach and guidance to improve the delivery of human service programs, has expanded its reach to improve communication and enhance partnerships between state and federal human services agencies, non-profits and the private sector IT firms.

HSITAG is engaged in a number of industry conferences, including sessions at the American Public Human Services Association Summit in May; the Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference in August; and the IT Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM) Conference in September. Many CompTIA members are on the planning committees for these conferences. 

HSITAG is also launching its first comprehensive survey by interviewing health and human services leaders at the state government level to provide insight on where the human services IT vertical is heading in the next year. Results of the survey will be released at the ISM conference in September.

Space Enterprise Council (SEC)

CompTIA's Space Enterprise Council represents all sectors of the space industry, including commercial, civil and national security, and continues to explore the nexus between the space and technology industries.

This year the council entered into a strategic partnership with Space News magazine and hosted a series of issue specific webinars on topics such as "The Role of Satellites and the Internet of Things," "Assessing the Impact of DOD's Innovation Pivot on the Aerospace Industry," and most recently, "A Day Without Space – Economic and National Security Ramifications."

"The Space Enterprise Council provides CompTIA members with a unique opportunity to take a principal role in developing and advocating policies and programs that ensure the U.S. continues to be a leader in the space marketplace," said David Logsdon, senior director, public sector, CompTIA.

"We're proud of the work that CompTIA's Public Sector Councils have accomplished over the past year," said Peter Kaminskas, vice president, member relations, CompTIA. "We're driving innovation and educating public program leaders, CIOs and elected officials in state and local governments. We're also facilitating relationships between the IT and public sector in a collaborative environment that includes peer-to-peer dialogue facilitated by a governance process that advances the IT industry – ultimately, helping promote our country's economic growth, national security and quality of life."

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
Director, Corporate Communications
CompTIA
630-678-8468
[email protected]
www.comptia.org

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SOURCE CompTIA

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