San Ramon, CA – Accela, the leading provider of cloud-based SaaS solutions for government, wrapped up Accelarate last week, its annual customer conference, that featured insights from government technology thought leaders, new research on emerging regulation, and the announcement of Accela’s Trendsetter Awards that honor public sector innovators.
With a focus on “Governing the Future,” keynote presentations centered on the road ahead and how governments can leverage technology to better serve their communities. Speakers included CareJourney President Aneesh Chopra, who served as the nation’s first U.S. chief technology officer and as Virginia’s former secretary of technology; Atlanta’s Chief Resilience Officer Amol Naik; e.Republic Chief Innovation Officer Dustin Haisler; Microsoft ISV Architect Evangelist Murray Gordon; and Accela executives. Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper also welcomed attendees to the event and invited them to Accelarate 2019, to be held in Denver, Colorado.
During his remarks Haisler unveiled the findings of a new national research study conducted by the Center for Digital Government’s e.Republic Labs, a program by the public sector media company to explore new innovations in government. The report spotlighted where government leaders expect to see new regulations, the technologies fueling this change and how cloud solutions can help state and local governments adapt to such industry shifts.
The conference closed out by announcing the winners of this year’s “Trendsetter Awards,” which highlight governments and individuals who are leveraging technology to improve delivery of services in their communities. As governments strive with the accelerating pace of technological change, Accela was pleased to acknowledge the Trendsetters below.
Citizen Experience, Maricopa County, AZ Recognizing an agency that has radically improved the delivery of government services to its citizens by creating a consumer-like, citizen-friendly online experience to process requests, protect residents, identify problems and resolve issues rapidly.
Emerging Regulation, City and County Of Denver, CO Recognizing an agency that has embraced the challenge of new and emerging regulations, while promoting innovation within its community to encourage economic growth.
Digital Service Transformation, Manatee County, FL Recognizing an agency that has revolutionized complex processes through automation within a digital environment to improve efficiencies and allow for a proactive approach in the way it serves its citizens.
Next Gen Economic Development, City Of Omaha, NE Recognizing a high performing agency that has improved the experience for requesting and obtaining business and occupational licenses, helping grow the economic development within its community.
Government in the Cloud, City of Mesa, AZ Recognizing an agency that has transformed from on premises to SaaS to serve its citizens through the cloud by delivering added resources and services to residents with increased accessibility at an accelerated rate.
Civic Hero: Building Communities Stan Reichert, City of Oklahoma City, OK Recognizing a government professional who has effectively leveraged Accela’s Building, Planning and/or Service Request Management solution to grow their community by implementing innovative efficiencies within their day-to-day functions of reviewing, processing and approving citizen requests. Civic Hero: Growing Businesses Chad Blahak, City of Lincoln, NE Recognizing a government professional who has effectively leveraged Accela’s Business Licensing, Occupational Licensing, Alcoholic Beverage Control and/or Cannabis Regulation solution to help businesses maneuver the complexities of becoming compliant quickly and efficiently.
Civic Hero: Protecting Citizens Anthony Valdez, South Metro Fire Rescue, CO Recognizing a government professional who has effectively leveraged Accela’s Public Safety and/or Environmental Health solution to protect the public health and safety of its citizens, while creating a high-demand place to live and do business.
Accelarate 2018 Best Presentation Real, Real-time Permit Approval: Chad Blahak, City of Lincoln NE; Daniel Sampson, Byrne Software Technologies, Inc. Attendees recognized this breakout session as the best presentation during the event. It highlighted how Accela’s Citizen Access tool, can help government to automate tasks and save staff time through a real-time permit approval process.