LITTLE ROCK-Executive leaders from the Arkansas Department of Information Systems (DIS) and an Arkansas government mobile app were recognized with top awards from StateScoop, a government information technology media company in Washington D.C., Wednesday, May 4, 2016, in Baltimore, Maryland. The state received a total of seven nominations in several award categories.

DIS Director Mark Myers was selected from a field of 38 state chief information officers (CIOs), security officers and governors in StateScoop’s annual 50 Awards for a 2016 Golden Gov: State Executive of the Year award. DIS Deputy Director Yessica Jones was chosen as a winner from among 23 other nominees in the 2016 StateScoop 50 State Up and Comer category. The mobile app Gov2Go, developed by the Information Network of Arkansas (INA), won an award in the Innovation of the Year category.

“Seven award nominations and three winners from a small state like Arkansas shows that we have the right people leading IT operations on behalf of the state and have created innovative technology programs to increase citizen engagement with government,” said Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “I extend my sincere congratulations to Mark, Yessica, INA, and to the other nominees from Arkansas for a job well done.”

Arkansas nominees in the State Leadership category were Jeff Dean, CIO for the Department of Human Services and Shelby Johnson, geographic information officer for the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office. Bob Sanders of INA was nominated in the Industry Leadership category. The YOUniversal Financial Aid Application System from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education was nominated in the State IT Program of the Year category.

“To receive awards aimed at recognizing individuals across the nation working to leverage technology to improve government and make it more efficient and effective is quite an honor for both Yessica and me,” said Myers. “We accept these awards on behalf of all our deserving colleagues in Arkansas state government IT who also received award nominations.”

StateScoop engages top leaders from across government, academia and the tech industry to discuss ways technology can improve government, and to exchange best practices and identify ways to achieve common goals.

StateScoop is a division of Scoop News Group, publisher of FedScoop and EdScoop, and producer of numerous public sector IT events, including FedTalks, which draw top leaders from the White House, federal agencies, distinguished members of Congress, and from industry.

For more information visit http://statescoop.com/ or http://statescoop.com/statescoop50/2016/vote/#about.