Meet the 2014 Bold Award Finalists—The Government’s Top Tech Problem Solvers

Steve Jobs once said innovation is the thing that distinguishes a leader from a follower.

If that’s the case, then all the finalists for the 2014 Bold Awards—from top agency executives to rank-and-file project managers—are true leaders.

These 20 individuals and teams, selected by Nextgov’s editorial team from nearly 100 nominations, embody the next generation of problem solvers and innovators. Aided by the power of technology, they’ve not only overcome immediate challenges at their workplaces but also upended longstanding cultural obstacles that have thwarted would-be innovators in the past.

These individuals brought new technology into the halls of government to replace outmoded processes and used existing technology in new and novel ways. They’ve acted as evangelists for innovation at their agencies—enthusiastic, passionate and able to translate complex IT jargon into terms everyone can understand.

The initiatives spearheaded by our finalists grew from the desire to make the business of government more effective and more efficient—from increasing social media engagement and improving data collection to bolstering government transparency.

These nominees—many of them so-called “invisibles,” who worked diligently behind the scenes to improve government—will be honored for their accomplishments at Nextgov Prime, Sept. 8-9 in Washington. We hope you will join us in celebrating their successes.