LITTLE ROCK-Krissy Cross, field support technician, with the Arkansas Department of Information Systems (DIS), received the 2016 Leadership Award from the Arkansas Society for Technology in Education (ARKSTE), during the annual Hot Springs Technology Institute Conference, June 14-15, 2017, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The award recipient is nominated by a peer for demonstrating leadership in information technology and education across the state of Arkansas, said ARKSTE President Andy Martin, technology director, for the Cabot School District.

“Krissy is an expert at what she does and is always responsive,” said Martin. “I appreciate how she makes herself available to all whether a district is a 1A or a 7A school. It is one of her best qualities.”

Cross has worked extensively on a two-year project to upgrade K-12 public schools, education cooperatives and charter schools across Arkansas to high-speed broadband on the Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN) managed by DIS.

Cross is the fifth recipient from DIS to receive the award since 2004. Other DIS recipients include Becky Rains (2010), Dana Thompson (2009), Debbie Martin (2006) and Rick Martin (2004) respectively.

“It was an honor to be in the group of past recipients from DIS and other amazing people in the Arkansas K-12 school system,” Cross said. “I’m just a girl doing her job and loving her customers.”

“I learned very quickly of Krissy’s leadership abilities,” said DIS Director Yessica Jones. “She sets a high standard for herself and dedicates herself fully to serving our K-12 customers and working in partnership with them.”

ARKSTE is a professional educational organization for Arkansas’s technology leaders and is an affiliate organization of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). In addition to the leadership award, ARKSTE also presents an annual Making it Happen award and an Unsung Hero award, said Martin.

DIS is a cabinet level agency of Arkansas state government that provides information technology (IT) solutions to the public sector. DIS customers include state agencies, boards, commissions, city and county governmental entities, K-12 public schools, institutions of higher education, and the public safety community.

DIS is responsible for the security, disaster recovery and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) functions for the state. Primary products and services provided by DIS include data center and hosting, voice (telephony), networking, professional services, storage and backup and operational services.