SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - Jun 15, 2011) - Tom Suehs, executive commissioner for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, has been awarded the Bob Bullock Award for Outstanding Public Stewardship by e.Republic's Government Technology magazine.
In its 14th year, the Bob Bullock Award is presented annually to a Texas State executive or elected official for outstanding leadership, innovation, and a career of dedication to serving the citizens of Texas. The award was presented to Mr. Suehs at the Government Technology Southwest Conference executive dinner June 14th in Austin, Texas.
Appointed in 2009, Mr. Suehs assumed leadership of an organization that faced a statewide crisis, with soaring caseloads for food benefits and long waits for service. In one year, wait times were reduced from months to days, the agency cleared a backlog of cases and the Texas eligibility system was put on a path to becoming the best in the nation.
Determined to improve services to Texas citizens even as the state faces budget cuts, Mr. Suehs said, "We are looking for new ways to deliver services. We can use technology to make it easier for people to apply for services and cheaper for the state to process their cases."
Under his leadership, Texas resumed the rollout of a new eligibility system and efforts to make it easier for Texans to apply for services. He energized employees with a renewed commitment to improving customer service, and engineered cost savings plans with minimal disruption to direct services. As Commissioner, Mr. Suehs oversees five agencies, a third of the state budget, and more than 50,000 employees.
See http://www.govtech.com/education/Texas-Suehs-Bob-Bullock-Award.html
About Government Technology
Government Technology is about solving problems in state and local government through the smart use of technology. Drawing on experiences of public agencies from across the country, Government Technology features best practices and fosters communities of interest around improving service delivery and transforming government.
Government Technology is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation. http://www.erepublic.com.