A millennial coming of age

The Federal 100 awards have been around for 21 years now, and they are an annual testament to the constancy of the government information technology community — and its ongoing vitality.

But as we pause once again to recognize and honor 100 standouts in what is now the 10th year of this millennium, it’s worth noting that the career paths and achievements of our new Federal 100 cohorts are now clearly of, by, for and all about the 21st century. These are fully realized aspirants of the new millennium. What they have done — and, no doubt, will continue to do — lays a foundation for this nation’s progress and prosperity for decades to come.

Related Federal 100 stories:

By the numbers: The 2010 Federal 100 awards

Emma Antunes embraces social media for collaboration

Sonny Bhagowalia smashes technical, cultural obstacles to sharing government data

Amy Burnett dispenses public health information in a pinch

Guy Martin empowers DOD's community of software superheroes

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson envisions a global Army network

Read more about the 2010 Federal 100 award winners

Whether their specialties are cybersecurity, open government, network centricity or health IT, the men and women chosen for this year’s awards form the vanguard of nearly every critical government sector and public service mission you can name. How shall we defend our critical network infrastructures from nefarious cyber intrusions? How can we engage and energize people in a truly collaborative, bottom-up democracy? How do we arm, connect and inform our fighting men and women in the ever-expanding wireless battlefield? How do we take advantage of the technological advances in medicine for the benefit of patients and their doctors?

Those are tough questions that lack self-evident solutions. And in many instances, the solutions and methods that are put forth go against the grain of accepted practice or perceived wisdom in the hallowed halls of government. What will strike you as you peruse the profiles of this year’s Federal 100 winners is not only their ardor and persistent ingenuity, but also their unabashed determination to push, prod, cajole, evangelize and ultimately persuade both their superiors and peers to jump aboard the bandwagon of change.

The 75 men and 25 women who take their due places under this year’s spotlight span multiple generations, cultural backgrounds and professional interests. The fact is, there is no one profile of a Federal 100 award winner. That is their individual and — to the benefit of all of us — collective strength. They have laid new paths for the rest of us to follow. And their work, as described here and realized in dozens of settings throughout government, sets a new standard for dedication and commitment to excellence.

It makes you look forward to the next 90 years, doesn’t it?

Read more about the 2010 Federal 100 award winners.