TechAmerica honors government, industry leaders

Richard Spires, CIO at the Homeland Security department, took the Government Technology Executive of the Year award at the TechAmerica Foundation's American Technology Awards ceremony, held June 13 in Washington, D.C.

In accepting the award, Spires credited people who work with him, and advocated a team approach. In the most effective IT projects, he said, “You lose the distinction between the government employees and the contractors. That's when it works best. That's human beings being their best.”

Spires has been CIO at DHS since 2009, and TechAmerica honored him for his work continuing to knit together the nearly two dozen agencies that former president George W. Bush had combined into DHS after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In considering the past three years, Spires said, “Some days I feel like Sisyphus from Greek mythology, rolling a boulder up a hill just to have it roll back down,” he said. “But then you look back over three years, and how far we've moved the ball is just amazing.”

Other award winners were:

• Kevin Johnson, CEO of Juniper Networks: Corporate Leadership Award.
• Kelly Goshorn, program manager of Air Force flight scheduling programs, including Patriot Excalibur and Netcentric Commander's Decision Services: Program Manager of the Year.