NYS CIO and Director of the Office for Technology Honors NYS Public Sector CIO of the Year

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Ed Hemminger, Ontario County CIO and the 2009 NYS CIO of the Year and Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, NYS CIO and Director of the Office for Technology.

ALBANY, NY (04/10/2009)(readMedia)-- During the third CIO Academy on April 9, 2009, New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office for Technology, Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, awarded the 2009 New York State Public Sector CIO of the Year Award to Edward Hemminger, Chief Information Officer for Ontario County.

In its third year, the CIO of the Year award recognizes individuals for exemplary leadership, strategic vision, innovation and collaboration. Mr. Hemminger received multiple nominations for the award and was selected as CIO of the Year from the largest pool of nominees since the award's inception in 2007. Mr. Hemminger was chosen among the finalists for his focus on ensuring all county offices have the technology they need to help drive economic development. During the awards ceremony two additional finalists were acknowledged for their outstanding work and accomplishments. Paul Cosgrave, Commissioner of New York City's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications was recognized for implementing New York City's Emergency Communications Transformation Program - a multi-year, multi-agency initiative to modernize virtually all aspects of the City's Emergency 911 system and New York City's 311 Online.

Tom Herzog, CIO and Assistant Commissioner for the New York State Department of Corrections (DOCS) was also selected as a finalist for greatly enhancing DOCS' IT capabilities through performance based measures and progressive project management principles. This included the rollout of a broadband network and thin client installations to 75-plus locations, including 70 correctional facilities that operate much like small cities. "This year's finalists exemplified excellence in every aspect of their career accomplishments. Selecting our honoree from the finalists was very difficult, given their significant and unique contributions," said Dr. Mayberry-Stewart. "We are extremely proud to honor Ed as the NYS 2009 CIO of the Year. Ed has extended the role of the CIO. He has been instrumental in building closer ties between the state and local government IT communities, helping New York State function more efficiently. He is not only instrumental in helping achieve major initiatives, but does it in a way that is collaborating, motivating and enjoyable for everyone involved."

"I am extremely pleased to be selected as the 2009 New York State CIO of the Year. To have been chosen from so many of my peers, who are also deserving of recognition, is an honor," said Mr. Hemminger. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to work in such a dynamic field where innovation and collaboration can improve people's lives and the communities where they live. It is now our challenge to use technology to help our organizations through these tough times."

In addition to his role as CIO, Mr. Hemminger is Chief Technology Officer of Ontario County Economic Development and CEO of the Finger Lakes Regional Telecommunication Development Corporation - a nonprofit corporation formed by the county with the specific mission of broadband development. Mr. Hemminger also serves as President of The New York State Local Government Information Technology Director's Association and the New York Chapter of the International GMIS organization; is Vice Chair of the E-Government State Applications for Low Income Households Action Team for the New York State Council for Universal Broadband; is a member of the New York State CIO Council; the NYS Forum; Chairman of the Town of Farmington Zoning Board of Appeals; and Ontario County's ethics board.

As the 2009 CIO of the Year, Mr. Hemminger will be featured in Public CIO Magazine - a Government Technology publication and received a citation from Governor David A. Paterson. In the citation, Governor David A. Paterson recognized Mr. Hemminger for "his impressive record of accomplishments and on receiving this distinguished honor from his peers and colleagues."

The New York State CIO Academy is produced by Government Technology Executive Events. Government Technology is a division of eRepublic Inc., a publishing, research and new media company serving state and local government and education IT markets. Dr. Mayberry-Stewart chairs the CIO Advisory Board, which includes a dedicated group of executive management and technology leaders in the public and private sector. For additional Information on the 2009 CIO Academy and CIO of the Year Awards Ceremony visit http://www.govtech.com/events/nycio.

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About CIO/OFTThe State Chief Information Officer and Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) provide statewide IT strategic direction, IT policy and centralized IT services to the state and its governmental entities. CIO/OFT provides IT services to support the missions of state agencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including more than 90,000 telecom users, 50 statewide mission-critical applications, a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber, including mainframe operations, telecommunications, Internet and intranet services, email systems and support, IT training, networking, and data storage and processing. In addition, the agency has a world renowned project management practice, develops web applications and assists with application development. For more information, visit http://www.oft.state.ny.us/.