Page 17 - FCW, March 2017

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The heroes beyond the headlines
The Federal 100 awards are for the federal IT community, but they have never been about the computers or the networks or the procurements. Federal 100 recognition is all about the people — outstanding individuals who deliver the missions, the programs and the results in a single year.
More often than not, those individuals are unsung heroes. Politics and policy tend to hog the spotlight in Washington, and most outstanding IT work is notable for the excitement it prevents. Rescue efforts for a troubled program and rapid responses to a major cyberattack are exceptions to that rule, but few would wish for those opportunities to shine.
So as a new administration takes shape and the public-facing layer
of government turns over almost entirely, it’s an especially good time to celebrate the women and men who quietly go above and beyond to make their government better able to serve the public.
The individuals in the pages that follow excelled in everything from data sharing and cybersecurity to shared services and workforce development. Some were political appointees pushing initiatives over the finish line, and
a few spent 2016 ensuring that the new team could hit the ground running. The majority, however, were career public servants committed to improving their corner of government. And every winner, public and private sector alike, proved that exceptional effort in federal IT can empower the government to deliver dramatically better results.
Read each winner’s profile, and we think you’ll agree: This community is awash in the talent and tenacity needed for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
— THE EDITORS
March 2017