2008 Government Web Managers
Conference and Web Best Practices Awards
SPEAKER BIOS
Steven L. Clift Founder and Board Chair, E-Democracy.Org and Ashoka Fellow. Steven Clift is one of world's leading experts on the use of information and communication technologies in democracy. Having coined the term "e–democracy" in the early nineties, his knowledge comes from real–world experience in government and civil society. With visits to 27 countries and even broader global networks online, he presents an up–to–date view on global e–democracy trends. Today, with the support of a social entrepreneurship Ashoka Fellowship he is now dedicated full-time to building E–Democracy.Org, the citizen-based "local up" e–democracy initiative he helped found in Minnesota in 1994. Today E-Democracy.Org hosts local online town hall Issues Forums in over ten communities across three countries. Since 1998, Steven continues to host the Democracies Online Newswire blog and international online communities of practice at stevenclift.com.
Martha Dorris is the Deputy Associate Administrator in the U.S. General Services Administration's, Office of Citizen Services and Communications. Martha has served more than 26 years as an information technology professional within both government and private industry. In her current position, Martha is charged with creating the integrated delivery of information to citizens, businesses and government. Information can easily be accessed from the federal government in English and Spanish via email and the web at USA.gov, GobiernoUSA.gov, and other consumer websites, telephone at 1–800–Fed Info or through the Pueblo publications center. In addition, Martha manages the Presidential e–gov initiative USA Services under which these services are provided to the public and is responsible for providing leadership to other federal agencies in improving customer service to the public.
In FY 2007, USA Services touched over 222 million citizens through its various delivery channels, trained over 3,100 web managers in web standards, issued task orders for contact center services during several major crises, and established a five–nation meeting of national Chief Information Officers. In addition, Martha is responsible for coordinating best practices and information across governmental boundaries—federal, state, local, and international in the transformation of service delivery to citizens. USA Services and its components have received numerous awards, including USA.gov being named as one of the top 25 sites that you can't live without.
Prior to her current position, Martha built GSA's Intergovernmental Solutions Division into a vital organization that focuses on facilitating collaboration and engagement on issues of relevance for improving citizen services in all arms of government. Martha's career included over nine years of governmentwide oversight of agency's acquisition and management of information technology programs, including conducting reviews of federal agencies and providing approvals of major information technology expenditures. In addition, during her tenure in the private sector, she provided acquisition support to federal agencies.
Martha has been active in the IT community for decades. She was a Fed 100 award winner in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and has been active with the International Council for Information Technology in Government Administration (ICA) for over 10 years. She is currently serving as the President of the American Council for Technology (ACT).
Tim Evans is a Program Analyst in the Social Security Administration's
Office of Electronic Services. He was involved in Internet activities at
SSA in the early 1990s, implementing SSA's first Internet link. In 1992,
Tim went to the DuPont Company in Wilmington, DE, where in 1993 he created
the Company's corporate intranet; later, he worked at T.Rowe Price in
Baltimore, where he supported Internet applications for investors and
intranet applications for employees. He returned to SSA in 2003, and has
been heavily involved in SSA's emerging web analytics program. Tim has
spoken on analytics matters at the 2007 eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summite, the 2005 and 2006 Federal
Web Managers University Conference, and the 2004
American Customer Satisfaction Index Customer Summit.
Tim is the author of several books
about Internet technologies, including Teach Yourself HTML 4.0 in Ten Minutes and Building an Intranet.
Bev Godwin serves as Director of the USA.gov and Web Best Practices Division at the Office of Citizen Services and Communications, U.S. General Services Administration. She is responsible for the content, look and feel, and day-to-day operations for USA.gov and GobiernoUSa.gov, and for working across federal agencies on issues related to improving all government websites.
Prior to joining the USA.gov team in December 2000, Bev served as Deputy Director at the National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR). Joining NPR when it first began in 1993, Bev worked there for eight years on issues ranging from managing and budgeting for results, improving intergovernmental service delivery, waivers and local flexibility, the U.S. State and Local Gateway, family and community issues, and electronic government.
Bev joined the federal government in 1982 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There she managed analyses of budgets, policy, legislation, regulations and staffing for the $40 billion social services and income maintenance programs for children, families, and senior citizens. Bev also previously worked as a lobbyist and consultant for state governments. Bev received a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan ; and a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University.
Prudence Goforth is Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Web Communications Division and is a Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. She has been an early advocate of embracing Web 2.0 and social media leader for government communications outreach, among other efforts helping to initiate HHS Secretary Leavitt's highly acclaimed blog. Both at HHS, and previously at USEPA, Prudence has been a leader in the development of federal government Web governance.
Candi Harrison was Web Manager at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, from 1995-2005, where she managed HUD's Internet and intranet websites, web-based public kiosks, and web clinics for HUD partners. Under her leadership, HUD received numerous awards, including the first Digital Government Award in 2000 for outstanding use of the Internet in serving citizens; the E-Gov Trailblazer Award in 2001 for HUD's web clinics; and the E-Gov Pioneer Award in 1999 for HUD's kiosks.
In 2004, Candi co-chaired the interagency U.S. Government Web Content Management Working Group (which became the Web Managers Advisory Council), as part of the Interagency Committee on Government Information (ICGI), required by the E-Gov Act of 2002. The group researched and recommended policies for federal public websites that resulted in OMB's direction to agency heads in OMB Memorandum M-05-04. Candi organized and led workshops across the country to train government web managers on the new federal policies and best practices; and she helped create Webcontent.gov, as a resource for government web managers. In 2000, Candi founded the Web Content Managers Forum; and she remained part of its leadership until she retired in September 2005, after 24 years of federal government service.
Prior to working in government, Candi was a member of student services staffs at the University of Pennsylvania, PA, and Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. She holds a B.S. in English Education and an M.S. in Higher Education Administration, both from Indiana University. Presently, Candi lives in Tucson, AZ. She maintains her blog Candi on Content.
Dan Herman is the program director of nGenera's Government 2.0: Wikinomics, Government and Democracy research program that looks at how changes in technology, demographics, social and economic organization are transforming the world of government. His previous research has focused on organizational strategy, innovation and collaboration, and contributed to Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. Dan has also worked for the United Nations and TakingITGlobal in Sierra Leone and holds a degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as Masters in Development Studies in the Faculty of Economics at the London School of Economics.
Gwynne Kostin is Director of Web Communications, Office of Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She is responsible for content strategy and integration, program development, and Web evangelization for the new department. She provides leadership for all department public websites. She is also tasked with coordinating public Web communications across the federal government during incidents of national significance.
Sanjay J. Koyani, Director of Web Communications in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), leads Web design and usability efforts for the FDA. As director, he sets strategic direction for FDA.gov and related media, including the implementation of a content management system, Web governance, continued evolution of FDA.gov, assessment of Web 2.0 opportunities, and institutionalization of user–centered design approaches.
Prior to FDA, Sanjay served as a Senior Usability Specialist in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Web Communications Division. At HHS, he led Web design and usability efforts on HHS websites and other digital communication systems. He served as project manager for the development of key evidence–based resources—like Usability.gov, the first usability portal in the Federal government, and the Research–Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines resource—which help Web managers and designers create highly responsive and usable websites. Sanjay served as manager of the Web Design and Usability Section in the Communication Technologies Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1999 to 2003. From 1995 to 1999, He served with NCI's Patient Education Branch (PEB) as a Health Communications Specialist responsible for designing, managing, promoting, and evaluating multimedia health education and promotion programs targeted to patients, health professionals, and the public.
Sanjay holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Purdue University.
Jeffrey Levy is the Acting Director of Web Communications in EPA's Office of Public Affairs. In that role, he focuses on developing content standards, coordinating Web development with news announcements, reviewing draft materials, and preparing for emergencies. Jeffrey is one of the original members of the Web Managers Advisory Council, serving as co–Chair in 2005 and 2006. He started at EPA in 1993, writing regulations to protect the ozone layer.
Janice R. Nall, Director of the Division of eHealth Marketing at the National Center for Health Marketing, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is responsible for leading CDC's communication technology efforts. Janice manages www.cdc.gov and CDC's other e-health and new media initiatives.
Formerly Manager of the Usability Solutions Group at the General Services Administration, Janice was responsible for increasing the usability of U.S. Government websites and other communication technologies by providing policy, guidance, tools, resources, and training to federal Web developers and communicators. Janice led the development of a cross-agency usability program that included the Usability University program (now known as Web Manager University) and the U-Group E-newsletter. While at GSA, Janice was honored as one of Federal Computer Week's Federal 100?the top executives from government, industry, and academia who had the greatest impact on the government information systems community in 2002.
Prior to working with GSA, Janice served as Chief of the Communication Technologies Branch for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the National Institutes of Health. She was responsible for usability, accessibility, emerging technologies, graphic design, and other user interface issues for NCI's communication technology products and services. During her eight years at NCI, Janice led the development of several new usability initiatives including the Usability.gov website, the Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines, the Communication Technologies Research Center (CTRC), and the Usability Seminar Series and Training Program.
Joe Pagano is currently a digital media project coordinator in the
Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress, where he
leads the Library's Web site analytics program. He has worked with Web
metrics in various capacities for the last eight years. He also
co-chairs the Web Manager's Advisory Council Web Metrics Task Group.
Prior to coming to the Library of Congress in 1998, he worked at the
National Library of Medicine. He holds a BA in Chemistry and a Masters
Degree in Library Science. He is active in the Web Analytics
Association.
Andrew Rasiej is the Founder of Personal Democracy Forum, an annual conference and community website about the intersection of politics and 
technology. He is also the co-founder of techPresident, an award winning group blog that covers how the 2008 presidential candidates are using the web, and how content generated by voters is affecting the campaign. He has served as an advisor on the use of Information Technology for campaign and policy purposes since 1999.
In the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, Mr. Rasiej helped organize hundreds of local technology professionals to provide relief and recovery to small businesses and schools in lower Manhattan. From this experience, he proposed the creation of a National Tech Corps that would act similarly to the National Guard and provide emergency technical, communication, and database support in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist strike. This idea, now called NetGuard, was integrated into the Homeland Security Act and is currently being built by the US Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Rasiej also maintains the position of senior technology adviser for the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington D.C. based organization that focuses on using technology to facilitate citizen engagement and oversight.
Mr. Rasiej is the founder of MOUSE (Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools and Education), an educational non–profit organization started in 1997 focused on providing technology support to public schools. Mr. Rasiej is the former chairman, CEO, and co–founder of the Digital Club Network (DCN) which created the internet's largest live music archive, which is now part of eMusic. In 1996, Mr. Rasiej co-founded the world's best known annual digital music conference, "Plug In," which was attended by executives from major record labels and technology companies. Mr. Rasiej is a member of the Board of Directors of Pop!Tech, a three–day summit that explores the cutting-edge ideas, emerging technologies and new forces of change that are shaping our collective future. He is also a graduate of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and past recipient of the prestigious David Rockefeller Fellowship.
Richard Stapleton is Deputy Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Web Communications Division and is a Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. He has been a leader in the development of federal government Web governance and an early advocate of topical reorganization of government content. Mr. Stapleton's career spans the spectrum of media. He was Executive Producer of CBS News Special Broadcasts and a Senior Editor at ABC News, and has published two books.
Kath Straub is the Chief Scientist for Human Factors International. She has over 10 years of experience in the design and evaluation of websites, applications and physical products following on 10 years of experience in basic cognition research. In her career, she has fostered, mentored, and managed individuals to employ evidence-driven research methodologies in user-centered design, basic and applied research environments. She currently leads a team of usability and accessibility professionals, graphics artists and project managers working on projects for clients throughout the world. Kath approaches usability as the intersection of experimental cognition, social psychology, marketing, and technology. Her design practices evolve continuously to reflect current research.
In addition to her client work, Kath is actively involved in HFI's Certified Usability Analyst Training. She has been the lead designer of HFI's Putting Research into Practice and User Centered Analysis and Conceptual Design seminars. In addition, she has developed specialized training on advanced topics, including creating actionable surveys, design for aging citizens and developing global usability teams. Kath frequently presents invited lectures on usability, effective global sourcing, the institutionalization of usability and skill specific topics for agencies and organizations at conferences/technical society meetings (for example Usability Professionals Association, Web Manager University, Society for Technical Communication and others).
Hallie Wilfert is an Information Architect at SRA International, a technology and
strategic consulting firm in Arlington, VA. At SRA, she works mainly with government clients including the EPA's ENERGY STAR program, the Bureau of Land Management's Abandoned Mine Lands program, USAID, and FEMA. Previously, Hallie worked as the Director of New Media at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. As an information architect, she is committed to advocating for the user while satisfying the needs of the client. Hallie received her B.A. in American Studies, studying at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maryland, College Park. Hallie is a member of the Information Architecture Institute and the Usability Professionals Association (UPA). She has presented at the 2007 and 2008 Information Architecture Summits and will be presenting at the upcoming 2008 International UPA Conference in the e–Gov track.
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Page Updated or Reviewed: May 13, 2008
