Champions of Change Blog
Community Engagement and Civic Collaboration
Posted by on September 27, 2012 at 3:17 PM EDT
Adel Ebeid is being honored as a Champion of Change for his efforts in local innovation.
Philadelphia is honored to participate in the Champions of Change ceremony at the White House and highlight our efforts at re-casting the role of government through community engagement and civic collaboration. Our city has worked hard to develop impactful partnerships with community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, and residents in order to positively influence social outcomes in under-resourced neighborhoods. Two Philadelphia programs, KEYSPOT and Philly Rising, employ this civic collaboration model for planning and implementation and serve as working models for innovative government.
KEYSPOT is a neighborhood-based, public technology collaborative responsible for an integrated network of 77 technology-enabled community centers formed to close significant gaps in technology access and adoption that are particularly persistent in low-income neighborhoods. Similarly, the Philly Rising program relies on a collaborative, community-based approach to empower residents to tackle crime and quality of life issues and coordinate city services to better meet those challenges. KEYSPOT and Philly Rising both leverage Philadelphia’s tremendous community assets to link and further develop physical, human, and community infrastructures in order to provide residents with tools and support so that they may realize their vision for family and community.
We will continue to build on the success of these innovative initiatives and look forward to what’s next.
Adel Ebeid is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's first Chief Innovation Officer
Learn more aboutEfficiency through Strategic Data Analysis
Posted by on September 27, 2012 at 2:25 PM EDT
Michael Flowers is being honored as a Champion of Change for his efforts in local innovation.
Performance data shines a bright light on how well cities are addressing the public’s diverse concerns—from potholes to playgrounds. And the best data efforts draw not just on agency records and systems, but also on New Yorkers themselves, including questions they ask and complaints they file with 311. Combined, this information helps agencies manage workloads, leverage strengths, and close gaps.
To this end, New York City is moving beyond mere performance measurement; the City is weaving together data from sources across local, state, and Federal agencies to gain unprecedented insight into public conditions and trends. We are applying the latest technology and predictive analyses to get ahead of the difficult issues facing our communities.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has assembled an expert analytics team in his Office of Policy and Strategic Planning to lead the City into this new era of data-centered innovation. The team conducts the kind of aggressive data mining and analysis that brings the complete “digital fingerprint” of just about any complex urban problem into focus—and helps determine which tools of government, across agency boundaries, can best address it.
That includes some of the trickiest problems—those that do not fit neatly within agency portfolios and that seem insurmountable given the strain on existing resources.
For example, illegal conversions, apartments whose unscrupulous landlords have illegally subdivided to cram tenants in for greater profit, continue to be a problem. Every year, the City receives thousands of complaints about these properties, which are often unmonitored and unsafe for the families who live in them. For a long time, City agencies had no way to hone in on the properties that posed the greatest risk of fire where residents could be hurt or killed. Then analysts began looking at several previously unexamined sources of data about fires across the city, and a pattern emerged. The data used, including the property owner’s financial condition, building’s history of complaints, construction date, and neighborhood demographics all showed a link to fire risk. Strategic data targeting allowed building inspectors to prioritize properties that required immediate investigation and streamline the process for examining complaints. As a result of this efficiency, high-priority complaints were addressed faster, resources were strategically deployed, and the rate for vacating illegal conversions jumped from 13 percent to 70 percent with no increase in the operating budget.
We will continue to use these tools to help make the lives of New Yorkers better, and am honored to be called a “Champion of Change.”
Michael P. Flowers is the Analytics Director for New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning.
Learn more aboutDriving Innovation and Change in Government Technology
Posted by on September 27, 2012 at 12:55 PM EDT
Phil Bertolini is being honored as a Champion of Change for his efforts in local innovation.
In my role as Oakland County Chief Innovation Officer, I have worked alongside our County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson, to provide the vision, leadership, and executive sponsorship needed to drive innovation and real change in government technology, even in tough economic times. Michigan remains among the hardest hit by the national economic crisis, with recent years bringing the worst economic environment the state has ever seen. Creating and implementing large-scale change can be challenging under the best circumstances. Innovation seems nearly impossible for governments struggling under the twin burdens of rising costs and dwindling revenues. With our long-term approach to government technology implementation, however, Oakland County has shown that driving innovation in a tough economy is possible and even necessary for the continued provision of critical government services. My philosophy of “build it once, pay for it once, and everybody benefits” supports further innovations in government technology, which in turn produced an information technology operating budget that is balanced for the next three fiscal years.
Oakland County’s Information Technology Department creates cost-effective “eGovernment” solutions to meet customers’ needs. Wherever possible, as a team, we meet requests for increased or improved services with investments in technology that can be used across all units of government. For example, Access Oakland is a robust suite of eCommerce services that is used by many County departments, courts, and municipalities. Since 1997, Access Oakland has provided convenient online services to people doing business with the County, resulting in an annual average net benefit of $1.3 million to County taxpayers. Cumulative benefits resulting from the County's eGovernment programs are estimated to be more than $71.5 million for fiscal years 2003 – 2011.
Last year, I led the formation of G2G Cloud Solutions to support intergovernmental cooperation while containing operating costs for everyone. G2G Cloud Solutions enables technology sharing among governments via the Web. It is based on the idea that governments can work together to create a sustainable model for digital government by sharing and leveraging technology for mutual benefit. As a unique government-managed cloud computing service, G2G Cloud Solutions has no precedent. Through G2G Cloud Solutions, participating government agencies benefit from the opportunity to use technology that may not otherwise be within reach. The technology solutions available through G2G Cloud Solutions support reduced operating costs, increased reliability, security, and privacy protection for government data. G2G Cloud Solutions is working in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo) to expand shared services and hosted applications on a national scale, offering technology solutions to other governments at a cost that is significantly lower than other options.
As a result of these efforts, we are working to transform how government works for citizens, and I am honored to be recognized on behalf of the work of so many.
Phil Bertolini is the CIO and Deputy County Executive for Oakland County, Michigan
Learn more aboutPower Behind a Cause
Posted by on September 21, 2012 at 12:43 PM EDT
Brenda Batschelet is being honored as a Champion of Change for her Kiwanis International service.
I’m a proud member of Aktion Club, which is a program of Kiwanis International, and I’m also proud to receive the Champions of Change award. Aktion Club gives those of us with disabilities some ways to serve others and be leaders. For me, it was a great opportunity to put the power of my local club behind a great cause called Relay for Life.
We were talking about community service projects during a meeting, and I asked about the club’s interest in the event, which helps the American Cancer Society raise funds and lets people remember loved ones they have lost. Everyone thought it was a good idea, so we formed a team. I was honored to become our team’s captain. It was a great experience. It helped me develop leadership skills, which is a big part of what Aktion Club is all about.
I attended all the meetings for the event in our community, and I kept everyone in my club informed about what was happening. I was also responsible for collecting the money raised by other team members, and of course, I did some fundraising with our Aktion Club. This included a bake sale and popcorn sales, and I handled a lot of the details for these fundraisers. I was also responsible for giving the money we raised from selling popcorn during the event to the Relay Bank.
It was great to see how my suggestion about getting active in Relay for Life and my leadership of the team has helped boost up respect for Aktion Club in our community.
It’s also been nice to hear from others that they have seen the positive changes in my own life. People notice I’m less shy—being a leader has helped me speak in front of people with a lot more confidence. My parents notice too. They say now that when I’m involved in Aktion Club service, I don’t know what “no” means. I know they’re grateful like I am for the opportunities the program has given me. And we’re all grateful for the recognition as a Champion of Change.
Brenda Batschelet is a member of Aktion Club, a Kiwanis service organization for adults with disabilities, and was a key part of the Relay for Life Committee in Jefferson, Iowa
Learn more about ServiceAnyone Can Do It
Posted by on September 21, 2012 at 12:21 PM EDT
Emily Lang is being honored as a Champion of Change for her Kiwanis International service.
I am so very proud and humbled to be recognized as a Champion of Change and to represent the community of Oak Harbor, Washington, and Crescent Harbor Elementary Kiwanis Kids.
For me, actions speak louder than words, and I have always been a helper.
I am starting my seventh year in Girl Scouts. Every year, my troop supports a local shelter for families of domestic abuse by supplying them with Girl Scout cookies. We also have many food collections for the local food bank all year long.
In school, all of my teachers from kindergarten through 5th grade have helped me be a better person. They have helped me learn about my community and the world and have given me multiple ideas about how to help people all around.
In addition, I keep very active in school activities such as volleyball and running. Every morning, I like to help the kindergarten teacher prepare for her day. Then I like to help the first graders with their reading and sight words. One day a week, I get to help in the library, arranging books on the shelves—allowing the librarian to work on other tasks.
In K-Kids, we walk around our school and pick up the trash. We sweep around the school grounds so that all the students can feel pride in our school. We support many causes like UNICEF and Relay for Life. We collect food donations for the food bank. My favorite parts have been writing letters of support to our troops in Afghanistan and collecting food, toys and bedding for the cats and dogs at the local animal shelter.
To me, kindness is just one small action. A smile for someone on a gray day. Helping a teacher with her tasks. Holding the door for another. Picking up trash at the local beach. Just one good deed. Anyone can do it.
Emily Lang is a fifth-grade student at Crescent Harbor Elementary School in Oak Harbor, Washington, and has served as president of her school’s K-Kids club, which is part of Kiwanis International’s service and leadership program for elementary school students
Learn more about ServiceThe Gift to Make a Positive Change
Posted by on September 21, 2012 at 12:11 PM EDT
Jeffery M. Woods is being honored as a Champion of Change for his Kiwanis International service.
I am deeply honored and privileged to be named as a Champion of Change. I have long been committed to service as citizen soldier and a community servant.
As a member of the Kiwanis Club of Ruston, Louisiana, I have focused my service on helping kids. I feel God has given me a gift to reach out to any community to make a positive change in an individual or family, and I feel that Kiwanis gives me opportunities to use that gift.
I started a backpack program that helps disadvantaged students at our local elementary school. As a Kiwanis advisor to the Grambling State University Circle K Club, I guide the college students in tutoring and mentoring children in third through eighth grade. I’m also the Kiwanis Terrific Kids coordinator at the elementary school. We arrange speakers to talk to the students about the importance of education and establishing good work habits. Every nine weeks, Kiwanis members have breakfast with the students and reward the students who have achieved their goals with certificates and passes to movies and sporting events.
After completing a three-year enlistment on active duty at Fort Hood, Texas, I joined the U.S. Army Reserves in February 1987, and in February 1990, I was deployed for active duty with 279th Maintenance Company, Dallas, Texas, for Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia. I completed my Army Reserves tour in July 1994. After completion of 10 years of military service, I decided to leave the military and work for the Dallas Morning News.
During my time out of the military, I missed the esprit de corps, Army values, travel and sense of belonging to one of the greatest organizations in the world. I re-enlisted in the Louisiana Army National Guard on September 19, 2000, in the Headquarters Support Company, 527th Engineers, in Ruston as a material handling equipment operator. I was deployed to active duty again in January of 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and served seven months in-country. I was chosen among my peers to be a full-time active guard reserve soldier on April 15, 2004, for Alpha Company 527th Engineers, Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. In August 2005, I was deployed to New Orleans in response to Hurricane Katrina, where I assisted citizens and emergency personnel, monitored the streets of the city and kept hostile situations to a minimum. I remained in New Orleans the remainder of the year to assist with clean-up and restoration.
I’m dedicated to my family, including my wife, Aldrenia, and our children: Ebony, Brandon, Tony II, Andrez and Decambrien. I thank my parents, Gardie B. and Beatrice (Miller) Woods, for instilling in me strong values, and I’m blessed to have four brothers (Gordy, Perry, Jerry, Tommy) and one sister (Maria LaTrice).
I’m also dedicated to the Louisiana Army National Guard, the Kiwanis Club of Ruston and my church family, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. I have served my community with faith and honor, and I am so grateful to be recognized as a Champion of Change.
Staff Sergeant Jeffery M. Woods is the Unit Supply Sergeant for Headquarters Support Company, 527th Engineer Company, Ruston, Louisiana, of the 225th Brigade, Camp Beauregard
Learn more about Service
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