The parent of Government Technology, e.Republic Media, has bought Governing magazine.

The quick history: Governing, owned by the Times Publishing Company, was part of CQ. And Congressional Quarterly was purchased by The Economist Group’s Roll Call earlier this year — but Governing magazine was not part of that deal. So Governing was re-put up for sale.

There were a number of potential bidders — Government Executive’s owner, Atlantic Media was eying it but withdrew early… Federal Computer Week publisher 1105 Media was also said to be in the bidding. The idea behind that bid is that it would give 1105 a foothold in the state and local market making the suite of publications a very efficient way to reach the government market.

The e.Republic buy is also interesting. While Government Technology is, as the name implies, more tech focused, Governing is more executive focused and could be a powerful combination for the state and local government market. It could provide e.Republic with a basis for broadening into the federal market.

From the release from Paul Harney, Chief Operating Officer for e.Republic, a California-based media company:

“Combined, the two organizations create the largest media firm providing news, research and analysis of the $2.9 trillion state and local government market.”

That being said, insiders say that a large percentage of the people at Governing are being let go today.

All of that being said, I have to say that I find Government Technology to be one of my favorite publications out there. It is well written, well edited and well crafted — and there is almost always something in the publication that makes me think. So I will be fascinated to see how Governing evolves.

UPDATE: B-to-B has posted a story:

In addition to Governing, which has a circulation of 85,000 and reaches top state and local government officials, the deal includes the Governing Web site and the Public Official of the Year event.

Here is the release:

e.Republic Acquires Governing Magazine
Governing joins Government TechnologyTo Create Powerful Combination

e.Republic today announced it has agreed to acquire Governing from the Times Publishing Company “We are very pleased to welcome Governing to e.Republic,” said PaulHarney , Chief Operating Officer for the California-based media company. “Our flagship Government Technology magazine has published alongside Governing for over 20 years, and we have a high regard forGoverning’s long history of editorial excellence,” Harney said.

“Combined, the two organizations create the largest media firm providing news, research and analysis of the $2.9 trillion state and local government market.”

“The Times Publishing Company takes great pride in Governing, which we nurtured from its inception 22 years ago into the powerful brand it is today,” said Andrew Corty, corporate vice president. “As part of this combination, Governing has a bright future educating and informing its senior-level readership across the nation.”

Governing will remain in its current offices on Connecticut Avenue in downtown Washington, D.C., under the leadership of its publisher Fred Kuhn, though some operations will be combined with similar functions at e.Republic. “Our intention is to retain the current array of products including the award-winning magazine, the Governing.com web site and well-known events, including the Public Official of the Year awards banquet,”Harney said.
Each company has long and deep experience in chronicling how the public’s business gets done in states and localities. Stemming from its long affiliation with Congressional Quarterly, Governing’s focus is on providing factual, unbiased coverage on public policy, management and what federal actions mean for cities, counties and states.

Headquartered in Sacramento, California, e.Republic has focused on the role technology plays in government transformation. An innovative media firm with award winning magazines and web sites, e.Republic is also home to the Center for Digital Government, a highly regarded research organization providing real-time intelligence and analysis on technology deployment and trends in state and local government.

“Governing plays an important role in informing and connecting America’s state and local leaders,” said Dennis McKenna, President and CEO of e.Republic. “Given the unprecedented challenges facing the country – growing unemployment, economic recession, failing infrastructure,healthcare reform, and energy insecurity – and on the eve of an important election year in states and localities, there has never been a more vital time for Governing.”

Governing was represented by The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc., a New York Citybased investment bank that specializes in the media, information, marketing services and related technology industries.

Both companies have approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Social networking — it is a term that has increasingly grown to make me cringe. And it is more then just semantics.

Regular DorobekInsider readers and listeners to Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris know it has been something of a campaign. In fact, I originally wrote about it back in September under the headline The era of social media is over – long live collaboration tools — and it is the subject of my column in AFCEA’s Signal magazine that will hit the streets on Dec. 1.

Last night, Web 2.0 guru Debbie Weil hosted a marvelous event titled Social Networking: the Two Dirtiest Words in Gov 2.0 (a Sweets and Tweets event) — the event was held at Baked & Wired in DC’s Georgetown, so we were surrounded by amazing cupcakes… and spirited yet very healthy debate. (David Harrity was kind enough to credit me with spurring the discussion, which is very kind. I actually credit Weil and Drapeau and the people in the room who were all interested in collaborating around this topic — in having a healthy debate.)

The main speaker was Mark Drapeau, who has an impressive bio — and an impressive following on Twitter. Drapeau is no stranger to listeners of Federal News Radio 1500 AM. He is one of a handful of government 2.0 thought leaders. And, as Drapeau acknowledged, he disagrees with me. (Drapeau and I disagree on things regularly — my guess is he does with many people — but he is also fascinated by a spirited debate on an issue and takes very little personally.  Additionally, he is unusually intelligent, which makes the debate even more refreshing.)

And I should say that Drapeau — and most of the people in the room — are interested in helping the government do its job better, and many of people there believe these tools offer real potential. The question at hand: Does the term “social media” and “social networking” help or hinder the cause of helping the government do its job better and more effectively.

Drapeau argued — and argues — that social networking is… well, social — and it is the socialness — the connections that people can make using these tools — and is empowering. In the end, these tools are much more then collaboration, he argues. It used to be about who you know, he says. Today, it’s about who knows you — and that, increasingly, the people who are the most connected are the most influential. And he argues that while social networking is… well, social, there is a lot of good and important work being done.

Further, he argued that these tools have connected him with many people he never would have met otherwise. But I would argue that comes from the sharing of information. That information sharing spurred collaboration. In work instances, the social aspects come later.

Both Drapeau and I agree that too often, people start with a tool or tactic. Instead, they need to have a goal in mind — what are you trying to accomplish, he said.

In many respects, Drapeau and I agree — but I continue to believe that the term “social networking” and “social media” are, in fact, detrimental. My co-anchor, Amy Morris, argues that my argument is largely about semantics. And, perhaps as a writer, I’m biased to believing that words are powerful and that they matter.

To me, the term social media is simply inaccurate. In the end, I don’t think that these tools are “media,” but beyond that, they aren’t really about being social.Socialness is the side benefit. Socialness is tantamount to the increased energy you get when you exercise — in the end, it isn’t the main purpose of exercise, but it sure is nice.

In the end, most organizations — and particularly agencies — aren’t interested in the social aspects of these tools. To the contrary, the social aspects hinder many organizations from using these tools, the same way it did with giving people e-mail addresses and putting the Internet oneverybody’s computer.

The fact is there isn’t a single agency that has the mission of being social. Even the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s HR organization, isn’t responsible forsocialness. For OPM — and for most organizations — these tools are a means to enable them to accomplish the mission more effectively and more efficiently.

But the term “social media” is, in fact, dangerous because it gives people the opportunity to discount these very powerful tools with a broad brush. (Giving credit where credit is due: This idea largely comes from Harvard Business School Prof. Andrew McAfee, the guy credited with “inventing” the term “enterprise 2.0″ — and he mentions this in his upcoming book Enterprise 2.0: New Collaborative Tools for Your Organization’s Toughest Challenges, due to be released Dec. 1. I should also note that we will talk to McAfee on Dec. 1 on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris.)

Dave Wennergren [PDF], the deputy CIO at the Defense Department, has a great line: “If you think Facebook is just for dating, you haven’t checked it out.” And he is exactly right. Yes — there is dating going on — and a whole lot of social stuff too — but the reason people are using these tools in droves is they let them do something that has been frustratingly out of reach: to share information. These tools — collaboration tools is my current preferred term, but I’m willing to take suggestions — these tools let people tap into the wisdom of the crowd… of their crowd. And people are learning that information is power — but that the real power of information comes when it is shared. That sharing helps everybody.

In the end, the power of these tools comes from their inherent ability to enable information sharing and collaboration, not from the social aspects. And I would point to the Better Buy Project, created by GSA, ACT/IAC and the National Academy of Public Administration. This site lets anybody, but particularly procurement officals, to share ideas and issues, propose solutions, and vote on other people’s ideas. And in the end, the site was created by sharing information in GovLoop’s Acquisition 2.0 group — by collaborating. Yes, there is a social aspect to all of that, but the question in the end — and the criteria that organization’s are going to judge the value — is whether these tools are helping people accomplish the organization’s mission. And that is something that bothDrapeau and I are in total agreement.

By the way, GSA’s Mary Davie tweeted that the Federal Acquisition Service is using the term “collaborative technologies.”

The phrase my be passe these days, but I still believe that content is still king — the ideas and thoughts matter. And while it is important who knows you, what is most important is the value of the information that you share — and how that information enables people to do their jobs better and faster.

(If I mischaracterized Drapeau’s thoughts and arguments, I know he — and others — will correct me and add their thoughts. You can also follow the #sweetevent Tweet stream here.)

A few other interesting comments from the event:

* Frederick Wellman, a former Army public affairs officer — his blog is titled Armed and Curious… Wellman argued that in many organizations, as government 2.0 has rolled out, the organizations are flattening. There is a greater ability for ideas to grow from the front lines. The traditional, hierarchical organizational structure is just changing. I think it is one of the scary parts of government 2.0, particularly for leaders — the loss of control, or, more accurately, the loss of perceived control. I recommendedWellman read the book What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis, which was the subject of the March meeting of the Federal News Radio Book Club. Jarvis highlights a number of principles in his book. Among them, as detailed in a BusinessWeek excerpt:

• give up control;
• get out of the way;
• make mistakes well.

* Dux Raymond Sy, a managing partner with Innovative-e said that in too many cases, agencies are enamored by the tools — they are lured by the technology — and often see these tools as silver bullets that will solve the organization’s challenges. In fact, he argued, they are tools and they can help an organization accomplish its mission, but they aren’t magic.

* Kathleen Smith, the Chief Marketing Officer of ClearedJobs.Net, argued that the next evolution — dare we say Gov 3.0 — will be when people — citizens — get fully engaged using these tools. My sense is we’re already starting to see some of that, but… if true, change could really be coming.

See photos from the event… including one of me…

Finally, thanks to FederalNewsRadio.com Internet Editor Dorothy Ramienski (@emrldcitychick) for joining me at the event tonight. While she is newlywed, I kept teasing her that it was our date night. She got to be a part of what I think was a interesting, educational, informative and fun discussion.

We have been telling you about a number of management reorganizations going on at a number of federal agencies — the Department of Health and Human Services… the Department of Veterans Affairs has named W. Todd Grams to be VA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management… and just yesterday, Federal News Radio’s Max Cacas was on the Daily Debrief with an update from OPM Director John Berry on that organization’s management shuffle, which I assume is tied to a yet-to-be-named OPM CIO, who will apparently get more authority at the Office of Personnel Management. (I’m not hearing a name yet. You?)

But the one that has created the most consternation is the massive reorganization at the Agriculture Department that essentially create a uber-USDA “Departmental Administration” — including operations such as procurement, IT, human resources and finance. You can read the documents and the new organization chart here… and read the USDA statement on the management reorg here.

I’ve been pushing USDA to talk about it — to no avail. But I have been getting all sorts of e-mail about it — and it was the subject of much discussion at ACT/IAC’s Executive Leadership Conference recently — even for the short time I was there. The big concern: Unlike the other reorganizations that are going on, the USDA plan seems to be a significant downgrade for both the CIO and the CFO — without any real explanation. And there had already been concern when the Obama administration decided to downgrade the USDA CIO from a political to a career post — again, without explanation.

And Government Executive’s Robert Brodsky has a good get — apparently the USDA CFO, Evan Segal, has “left his position, at least temporarily,” GovExec reports. Segal had been nominated in July.

From the GovExec story:

…Shortly after the [reorg] announcement, Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed, who will run the new office, told Government Executive the plan has the support of the workforce and “the vast majority of employees feels that this was the right thing to do.”

But some employees oppose the effort. In November, Evan Segal, who became chief financial officer in July, objected to the management structure during a meeting with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to sources whose offices are affected by the reorganization. Those sources spoke on condition they not be identified…

Segal has left his position, at least temporarily. “Mr. Segal has requested a leave of absence and he may choose to leave USDA to pursue other opportunities, but we have granted him time away to decide what he wants to do,” a USDA spokesperson told Government Executive. Segal did not respond to requests for comment, and an automated reply to his USDA e-mail account said he is “out of the office and will not have regular access to this account.”

Employees in the offices of Operations, Civil Rights and Human Capital Management — now renamed the Office of Human Resource Management — also have spoken out against the changes.

“Things are absolutely chaotic,” said one veteran USDA staffer whose office is affected by the restructuring. “I lived through previous reorganizations, and they are usually clear-cut. But there is no plan in place here. It seems to change day by day.” Another employee, who has been with the agency for several decades, said people are “unbelievably rattled, upset and disoriented.”

Read the full GovExec story here.

USDA has done an awful job of handling this entire process — and it is failing because of that. Their press organization, frankly, ought to be embarrassed.

They argue that they have been transparent — and, to be fair, USDA has created a portal with information about the management reorganization. But it is not available publicly — and despite numerous attempts to offer up a platform for officials to talk about what they are doing and why, they simply refuse. And the hole just keeps getting deeper.

Inherently, this seems to violate the upcoming, soon-to-be-released Obama administration openness and transparency initiative, which suggests that information should be released publicly unless there is a legitimate reason. What possible reason is there to not discuss these moves in a open and public way?

The USDA CIO and CFO organizations have been widely seen as in disarray for years now — and they are widely seen as the place nobody wants to work. And none of this is helping.

I continue to hope that USDA officials will try a different strategy and talk about what they are trying to do openly… tap into the remarkable wisdom of USDA — and of this community.

Federal News Radio continues to offer an open platform for USDA officials to talk about their strategy. As we always do, we will bend intopretzel shapes to be fair — but at this point, there are real questions out there that need to be answered.

This is a much belated post — you can thank the flu.

A few weeks ago, I got to moderate a panel at ACT/IAC’s Executive Leadership Conference 2009 on innovation. And we had a great group:

Turning Ideas into Value: The panel will discuss the process for generating ideas and how to select the best ones to maximize the benefits of innovation. Who do you look to for innovation? What are examples of creating the environment for innovative thinking? How to share ideas in nurturing an ecosystem that encourages innovation and creativity?

Panelists:

• Moderator: Chris Dorobek, Co-Anchor, Federal News Radio
• Sanjeev Bhagowalia, Chief Information Officer, Department of Interior
• Tom Freebairn, Acting Director, USA.gov Technologies, Office of Citizen Services, General Services Administration
• Mike Nelson, Visiting Professor, Internet Studies, Georgetown University
• Mike Seablom, Head, Software Integration and Visualization Office, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

And one of the great things about conferences is people share good books — and there were a ton o’ books mentioned in this session. I promised that I would share the list. (I planned to do it earlier, but… the flu got in the way.)

If you heard books mentioned that I haven’t listed here, either send it along or post it here as a comment.

Of course, I mentioned a few books.

* Enterprise 2.0: New Collaborative Tools for Your Organization’s Toughest Challenges by Harvard Business School Prof. Andrew McAfee, which is slated to be released on Dec. 1 but seems like it is available now. Transparency notes: McAfee asked me to write a “blurb” for the book, so I got an early read. My blurb didn’t make the actual jacket of the book, but… he posted it. Regardless, it is a fascinating read — and it highlights the remarkable work done by the intelligence community’s Intellipedia suite of collaboration tools. Second transparency note: McAfee will be on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris on Dec. 1 — the official book launch day.

* If We Can Put a Man on the Moon: Getting Big Things Done in Government by William Eggers and John O’Leary — Again, I got a pre-read of this book and it is just delightful. And one of the issues Eggers and O’Leary deal with is innovation. And a programming note: Eggers and O’Leary will be on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris on Thursday, Nov. 19… LIVE

* The Pixar Touch by David A. Price — I hear what you are saying — what does a movie studio have to do with government? Well, there is a real connection. First off, the technology that creates those amazing movies is made possible by a grant from ARPA — now DARPA. And the Defense Department is still one of the largest users in the world of this technology. (Pixar, remember, started as a software company, not as a movie studio.) I used Pixar as an example of an organization that was literally built on innovation — innovation is built in. And Price does a wonderful job detailing that. Pixar has also been remarkably successful — all of their movies have more than exceeded the magic $100 million gross that marks a hit movie in Hollywood. That is pretty remarkable in and of itself.

* Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation by James P. Andrew… This book was actually highlighted by federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra — and we featured it on the Federal News Radio Book Club. Hear our book club conversation with Chopra, Andrew, Federal News Radio’s Francis Rose and myself here.

* What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis… This book was also part of the Federal News Radio Book Club. Hear the meeting of the Federal News Radio Book Club here. The book, in the end, isn’t about Google. Rather, it is about innovation and being innovative. A lot of the book focuses on journalism, but…

Books mentioned by others:

* Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy by Judy Estrin mentioned by Nelson. We spoke to Estrin on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris soon after her book was released. Read more and hear our conversation here.

* Leading Geeks: How to Manage and Lead the People Who Deliver Technology by Paul Glen, David H. Maister, and the legendary Warren G. Bennis, mentioned by Nelson

Did you hear any good book titles? I’d love to hear them.

Meanwhile, there is a great social networking site for bookies — people who love to read, not people who make bets. It’s called GoodReads.com. You can book friend me here.

One of the more interesting stories of the year in government IT is the transition to the new Networx telecommunications contract — or lack of transition, to be honest. During the confirmation hearing of Martha Johnson to be the administrator of the General Services Administration, she said that Networx transition was going to be one of her top priorities — and she said that the process has been too slow and is costing the government big bucks.

On Wednesday, I will be moderating a panel at the AFFIRM luncheon billed as Voice of the Customer: GSA, Networx Transition, & Beyond.

We have a great line-up:

• Sanjeev “Sonny” Bhagowalia, CIO, Interior Department (bio);
• Karl Krumbholz, Director, Network Services Programs, GSA Integrated Technology Solutions (bio)
• Michael Brown, Executive Director, IT Services Office, Homeland Security Department (bio);
• Mike Ponti, Director, Strategic Resources Planning, ASD/NII, Defense Department (bio)

We’re waiting on one other confirmation, we hope.

Regardless, there should be some great lessons learned — and some really good insights about how the CIOs are really very focused on this transition — you’ll get to hear how the CIO Council specifically is focused on the Networx migration… and why.

Earlier on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris, we spoke to Bob Woods, president of TopSide Consulting, about the lagging transition. Read more and hear that conversation here.

Meanwhile, Federal Computer Week recently ran an interesting three-part series on the status of Networx transition.

• Transition Woes: Networx structure remains a sticking point [FCW.com, 11.06.2009] Questions of why have two contracts dogs the government’s huge telecommunications program
• Networx transition woes: Dual contracts or dueling contracts? [FCW.com, 11.09.2009] As Networx got underway, Enterprise and Universal became more alike and less complementary
• Networx transition woes: Enterprise becomes an also-ran [FCW.com, 11.10.2009] Networx Universal contract appears to be the favored vehicle on the program

I hope you’ll join us Wednesday. You can register from the link here.

The most read stories from the week of Nov. 8-14, 2009…
from the DorobekInsider.com…

1. DorobekInsider: UPDATE – Grams to join VA as principal deputy assistant secretary for management
2. DorobekInsider: HHS joins the management reorganization bandwagon — but this time, the CIO seem to get more visibility
3. DorobekInsider EXCLUSIVE: USDA undertakes extensive management reorg – downgrading the CIO, CFO
4. DorobekInsider: USDA officials offer more details on management reorganization
5. DorobekInsider: November’s Signal column: The Intelligence Community Writes the Book on Collabation
6. DorobekInsider: What you read for the first week of November 2009 on DorobekInsider, the Daily Debrief
7. DorobekInsider: UPDATED – Grams to join VA as principal deputy assistant secretary for managememt
8. DorobekInsider: OMB hires performance guru Shelley Metzenbaum
9. The DorobekInsider Reader: Veterans Day
10. DorobekInsider: Winners of the 7th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards
11. DorobekInsider: The era of social media is over – long live collaboration tools
12. DorobekInsider: GSA transition leads earn Coalition Partnership recognition
13. DorobekInsider: I’m back from a bout with the flu… and government flu resources
14. DorobekInsider: MD Tech Council awards GSA’s Coleman government CIO of the year
15. DorobekInsider: New sales hires for Federal News Radio 1500 AM and WTOP radio

from the Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris…

1. Lawmakers continue to discuss turning unused sick leave into TSP dollars
2. Congressman calls for hearings about federal LTC insurance premium hikes
3. Details about NSA cyberattack during Bush administration revealed
4. Friday Afternoon Federal Newscast
5. Will House healthcare bill affect the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program?
6. Preview: TSP Snapshot to start Monday
7. Smithsonian changing its image to appeal to younger Americans
8. McAfee, Northrop Grumman partner to work on Host Based Security System
9. Groups express concern about Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
10. Nominee to be TSA administrator testifies before Senate
11. New survey shows usage of Web 2.0 collaboration tools skyrocketing
12. Smithsonian uses innovative collaboration tools to reach out to public
13. Web 2.0 tools proving beneficial for government, industry
14. NIMH entering first phase of largest ever study of suicide in the military
15. Thursday Afternoon Federal Newscast
16. Feds, agencies not taking advantage of teleworking opportunities
17. Microsoft patches repair kernel flaws
18. Agency insourcing initative causing a stir in the private sector
19. Causey: 2009 a good year for feds
20. Public v. private sector? Insourcing debate heats up
21. Monday Afternoon Federal Newscast
22. Pentagon prepares to launch cyber command
23. Sunlight Labs’ Great American Hackathon coming next month
24. Your Turn preview: A pay raise in your future?
25. Executive Order launches government-wide effort to hire more vets
26. Your Wingman: How flying an F-16 relates to best practices in business
27. Two top feds say it might be time for a change in telework policy
28. Analysis: Why did Maj. Hasan open fire at Ft. Hood?
29. Learning more about the Great Federal Employee Initiative
30. Your Turn preview: The importance of long term care insurance
31. Examining the role of the military contractor
32. Memo from OPM Director makes ‘burrowing’ a priority
33. Preview: Baker taking his own advice to improve Veterans Affairs
34. OPM hopes to lure more military vets into civilian agenices
35. CIO Council examines buzz around cloud computing
36. GAO report looks at agency IT investment management
37. Ft. Hood shooting suspect never sought to leave military
38. Agencies look at social collaboration during Adobe Government Assembly
39. National Infantry Museum opens its doors to the public
40. Update on Ft. Hood shooting suspect from CNN
41. Northrop Grumman to sell advisory unit for $1.65 billion
42. Federal dollars working to develop new atomic accelerator
43. Transparency the buzz word for Obama administration
44. Sorting through the features of the “next-generation” TSP
45. Whitepaper outlines identity issues for federal website users
46. A Win for Retired Federal Employees
47. Microsoft Federal focuses on options in the cloud
48. Just don’t call it “pay for performance”

and from FederalNewsRadio.com…

1. Top agencies to work for in the federal government
2. OPM’s tips for Open Season
3. Thursday Morning Federal Newscast
4. OPM’s tips for Open Season, part 1
5. Friday Morning Federal Newscast
6. Earn a free masters degree in the Federal Cyber Corps
7. From TSP to ROTH? New rules hit federal retirees
8. Federal Drive
9. Rep. Van Hollen offers help for feds with fewer Health Plan options
10. Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast
11. Free speech and ethics collide for federal employees
12. Army Sec. McHugh: Ft. Hood has lost family
13. OPM on Open Season: dental and vision tips
14. Shay Assad: how to fix contracting problems in 30 days or less
15. Cyber Security Alliance opens nerve center in Maryland
16. OPM on Open Season: dental and vision tips – 8:30
17. Epidemic of cyber theft hits government and business
18. Great Places to Work: NGA shines above others
19. Even the Bureau of Prisons wonders where the money goes
20. Healthcare reconciliation: how Congress will hug it out
21. Chairman Devaney: embarrassment will lead to Recovery.gov improvements
22. Rep. Bob Filner: steps to improve government for veterans
23. The use of technology in TARP oversight
24. One-third of Federal agencies experience cybersecurity incidents daily
25. Army Secy. McHugh discusses honor, valor of troops on Veterans Day
26. Tuesday Morning Federal Newscast
27. HHS works to care for family caregivers
28. DoD promises to fix Iraq contracting problems in 30 days
29. Baldrige Award aims to prove quality matters
30. Top agencies to work for
31. Army Sec. McHugh: Staying Army Strong
32. Cyberthieves are hacking some victims dry
33. GSA and DISA partnership has sky high goals
34. Career Fair: DISA asks undergrads to STEP up
35. FBI Police says recruits are most wanted
36. Top agencies to work
37. Ft. Hood shooting rampage update
38. Shay Assad: how to fix contracting problems in 30 days or less – 8:08
39. KSAs out, TalentLink in at Homeland Security
40. Burrowing Trouble
41. Healthcare reconciliation: how Congress will hug it out – 9:08
42. Save big money by spending on a home – 8:30
43. Help comes from IBM for federal dataminers
44. Even C students can get high-income jobs
45. Treasury HQ goes for green, wins gold
46. Vets march into the federal workplace
47. Tips for recruiting talented people: hire veterans!
48. Long term care insurance advice

Bill Howell, who served as the general manager for events with 1105 Government Information Group and it’s precursor, PostNewsweek Tech Media, leading the FOSE trade show, will join the Partnership for Public Service as director of it’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives [SAGE] Program. Howell joined the Partnership a few weeks ago.

Howell had been the Vice President, Government Solutions Group with DocumentATM. As I mentioned, Howell served as Vice President and General Manager, Events with 1105 Government Information Group and PostNewsweek Tech Media before it was purchased by 1105 Media. Howell also served as a Vice President with Sysorex Information Systems.

More information about the SAGE program:

The Partnership for Public Service’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives (SAGE) Program connects senior-level executives in government with their predecessors and private-sector counterparts, providing them with an opportunity to leverage prior government experience as well as private-sector capabilities to continue to help transform government and improve performance. The SAGE effort focuses on the senior leadership in government, tackling issues that affect the management of operational disciplines across the public-sector. The Partnership’s SAGE Program is currently comprised of communities for Chief Information Officers (CIO), Chief Financial Officers (CFO) and Chief Acquisition Officers (CAO).

Goals
The four main goals of the SAGE Program are to:

• Help incoming public-sector, C-suite executives successfully improve the performance of government;
• Assist, advise and mentor these executives on successful implementation of discipline specific strategies;
• Create a forum for thought leadership, information exchange and cross-community collaboration among existing and former federal C-suite executives; and
• Share and build on valuable “lessons learned” from both the private sector and government, and discuss foundational activities essential to integrating strategies and delivering support.

More information about the program from the Partnership’s Web site.

Bill Howell, who served as the general manager for events with 1105 Government Information Group and it’s precursor, PostNewsweek Tech Media, leading the FOSE trade show, will join the Partnership for Public Service as director of it’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives [SAGE] Program. Howell joined the Partnership a few weeks ago.

Howell had been the Vice President, Government Solutions Group with DocumentATM. As I mentioned, Howell served as Vice President and General Manager, Events with 1105 Government Information Group and PostNewsweek Tech Media before it was purchased by 1105 Media. Howell also served as a Vice President with Sysorex Information Systems.

More information about the SAGE program:

The Partnership for Public Service’s Strategic Advisors to Government Executives (SAGE) Program connects senior-level executives in government with their predecessors and private-sector counterparts, providing them with an opportunity to leverage prior government experience as well as private-sector capabilities to continue to help transform government and improve performance. The SAGE effort focuses on the senior leadership in government, tackling issues that affect the management of operational disciplines across the public-sector. The Partnership’s SAGE Program is currently comprised of communities for Chief Information Officers (CIO), Chief Financial Officers (CFO) and Chief Acquisition Officers (CAO).

Goals
The four main goals of the SAGE Program are to:

• Help incoming public-sector, C-suite executives successfully improve the performance of government;
• Assist, advise and mentor these executives on successful implementation of discipline specific strategies;
• Create a forum for thought leadership, information exchange and cross-community collaboration among existing and former federal C-suite executives; and
• Share and build on valuable “lessons learned” from both the private sector and government, and discuss foundational activities essential to integrating strategies and delivering support.

More information about the program from the Partnership’s Web site.

Federal News Radio 1500 AM and WTOP radio have two new sales executives — starting soon — and one has extensive experience in the federal experience.

Chris Forest, who has worked with Starbridge Media Group and the former PostNewsweek Tech Media (now part of 1105 Media Government Information Group), so he has a lot of experience in the federal market.

Here is the note that WFED/WTOP sales manager Ralph Renzi, sales manager for Federal News Radio 1500 AM and WTOP, sent out to staff:

Chris currently works with Starbridge Media Group as Senior Director of Sales. He has gained extensive “Federal” sales experience through positions with GovernmentVAR Magazine, Post Newsweek Tech Media (now 1105, GCN, and Washington Technology), and INPUT.

Chris graduated from The University of Richmond. He now lives in Northern Virginia. Chris and his wife have three children. And just like others in the building he is involved in coaching Little League and youth basketball.

Chris was highly recommended to us and is excited to contribute to our sales efforts.

Forest starts next week.

Also joining us on Dec. 1 is Allyson Cochran. Again, Renzi’s note to staff:

Please join me in welcoming Allyson Cochran to be our Sales Associate starting December 1st 2009.

Allyson joins us from the Food and Drug Administration where she was most recently involved in developing internal marketing and promotion strategies. In addition to her efforts in logo and brand awareness development for the groundbreaking Computational Science Center Initiative, Allyson played a significant role in the introduction of social networking software to the FDA.

In May, Allyson graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Administration in Marketing. While at UGA, Allyson was a member of the women’s lacrosse team, a brother of the Delta Sigma Pi Coed Professional Business Fraternity, and a Presidential Scholar during her final two semesters.

Allyson describes herself as “having a borderline obsessive passion for sports”. Her favorite teams are, the Baltimore Ravens and of course, the University of Georgia Bulldogs! Since returning to the Washington, DC area, Allyson keeps active in her community through volunteer coaching of anOBGC youth girls basketball team.

Allyson is an enthusiastic individual who is ready for the radio sales challenge at WTOP/WFED. Her competitive spirit, experience, and drive will contribute to our overall team success.

GSA CIO Casey Coleman has been awarded the Tech Council of Maryland’s Government CIO of the Year award.

From the GSA release:

GSA’s Coleman Named Government CIO of the Year By Tech Council of Maryland

WASHINGTON – Casey Coleman, U.S. General Services Administration’s Chief Information Officer, has received the Tech Council of Maryland’s Government CIO of the Year award.

The prestigious award, part of the council’s Mid-Atlantic CIO&CTO Live! Awards Program, is given annually to the government CIO who exemplifies leadership and forward leaning technology implementation.

“The award is a great honor. This success was made possible by GSA’s strategic leadership and the efforts of my dedicated staff,” said Coleman.

She was honored at an event at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building in Washington on Nov. 10. The program also recognized the Mid-Atlantic region’s top Chief Technology Officers and other senior information technology leaders.

Coleman has been the GSA CIO since 2007 and previously was the CIO of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service. She recently emerged as a key player in the Obama administration’s cloud computing initiative, as federal CIO Vivek Kundra pegged GSA as a center of gravity for the initiative.

The Tech Council of Maryland is the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest technology trade association, which brings its 500-plus members access to technology industry leaders in Maryland, Washington, and Virginia. The council helps the region’s technology organizations grow through its membership and activities such as networking events, cost saving programs, and advocacy initiatives.

The finalists for the Tech Council of Marland’s awards… and the full list of winners.

Congratulations to Casey Coleman.