State Department Information Technology "Rising Stars" Award

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State Department Information Technology "Rising Stars" Awarded


Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

August 17, 2011




The 1105 Government Information Group has recognized three members of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Information Resource Management’s (IRM) Office of eDiplomacy as 2011 Rising Stars. This award highlights outstanding work and accomplishments contributing to Secretary Clinton’s 21st Century Statecraft initiative. The awardees are New Media Adviser Jamie Findlater, Virtual Student Foreign Service Manager Bridget Roddy, and Foreign Service Officer Paul Swider, manager of Tech@State public-private conferences.
The Rising Stars award highlights up-and-coming staff in the public and private sectors for making an early — and substantive — mark in the government IT community. An independent panel of judges organized by the 1105 Government Information Group, publishers of Federal Computer Week and Government Computer News, made the selections, which this year awarded 25 recipients from among more than 160 nominees.
Secretary Clinton's 21st Century Statecraft initiative calls for "engaging beyond the state" – engaging private and civic-sector partners in our foreign policy work, embracing innovative new technologies and models, and integrating all elements to serve the goals of American diplomacy and development. The Bureau of Information Resource Management has been at the forefront of putting new innovations into practice. The Virtual Student Foreign Service was launched by Secretary of State Clinton in 2009 to harness technology and a commitment to global service among young internet innovators to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement. Working in conjunction with the Secretary’s staff, Tech@State quarterly conferences were launched to foster dynamic exchanges between technologists and foreign affairs experts. These innovative programs bring fresh approaches to the mainstream operations of the State Department.
The success of the IRM awardees and the programs they manage highlights the Department’s commitment to recruit talented information management innovators to help meet the goals of 21st Century Statecraft and American diplomacy.


PRN: 2011/1338