State of Missouri Receives Five StateScoop 50 Awards

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Jefferson City — The state of Missouri has been awarded five StateScoop 50 Awards, which celebrate the outstanding achievements of states to make a positive impact in the government information technology (IT) community and public service. Missouri is the only state to receive five government-related StateScoop 50 Awards, the most of all awarded states.

“As public servants, we constantly strive to be the best for the people of Missouri,” Governor Mike Parson said. “We are proud to be recognized nationally for how our team members are bringing new and innovative business practices to state government.”

StateScoop, owned by Scoop News Group, focuses on reporting news and events that impact technology decisions in state and local government. The awards honor the “best and brightest” across the country. Missouri was represented in all five government-focused StateScoop 50 Awards, which is a testament to the skills, talents, and visionary leadership of state team members.

Office of Administration (OA) Commissioner Sarah Steelman - GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year Award

Commissioner Steelman was named a recipient of the GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year award, which recognizes “visionary state executives leading state government into a new technology landscape with innovative ideas and by inspiring others to get on board.” This was due in part to Commissioner Steelman’s leadership to start a Cabinet IT Governance Council to develop the state’s comprehensive IT strategic portfolio. The council reviews IT project status, encourages department accountability, and strengthens OA's partnership with IT to ensure better IT project outcomes for the citizens of Missouri. The council also reviews and allocates resources for new IT projects. Commissioner Steelman also secured funding through the budget process to build the state’s IT infrastructure, including funding for a new Enterprise Resource Planning software to replace a 20-year-old system.

Missouri Department of Revenue Director Ken Zellers - GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year Award

Director Zellers won the GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year award for his leadership and dedication to customer service and developing a new teamwork approach. Under his leadership, the Department of Revenue developed an IT roadmap to improve customer experience, technologies, strategies, and IT programs.

OA Project Management Office Director Paula Peters - State Up and Comer Award

Ms. Peters was awarded the State Up and Comer award for her exceptional work in IT during the past year and in previous years. Ms. Peters developed a new project management office to support strategic IT needs-based solution delivery and cross-departmental project management training to ensure successful IT project completion.

Chief Information Security Officer Stephen Meyer - State Cybersecurity Leader of the Year

Mr. Meyer won the State Cybersecurity Leader of the Year award for “demonstrating a passion and focus on keeping systems secure and thinking about security in the big picture of state IT.”

MoCareers - State IT Innovation of the Year

The MoCareers program won the State IT Innovation of the Year. This award is presented to “The innovative state IT approach to cross-agency or intra-agency technology that may have been unfathomable until recently.” It presents the state's first common brand and replaced over 50 different application processes, many of which were antiquated, paper-based processes. At its core is innovative customer experience design and mobile-friendly technology. For the first time, job applicants can now search and apply for all jobs across the state of Missouri on a single platform. Behind the scenes, recruiting teams now manage candidates in a data-driven, 21st century way. The MoCareers team was a cross-departmental effort led by Dawn Sweazea, Director of Talent Management, and Casey Osterkamp, Director of the Division of Personnel for the Office of Administration.

“This awards sweep by the Missouri team shows how we are moving state government forward,” Missouri Chief Operating Officer Drew Erdmann said. “Our public servants work hard every day to improve how we serve our citizens, and now they will compete again next year!”

For more information on the StateScoop 50 awards and winners, visit the StateScoop 50 awards website.

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