FCW Insider: Announcing the 2008 class of Rising Star award winners

I'm proud to announce...the 2008 class of 1105 Government Information Group's Rising Star award winners:Jonathan Alboum Agriculture Department Carey Bandler World Wide Technology Capt. Shaun Baker Army Eric Berard Army Medical Department Richard Von Bostel Justice Department Carrie Boyle BearingPoint Joshua Caplan Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center-Pacific Elizabeth Casale PacStar Siddhartha (Sid) Chowdhary Credence Management Solutions Dan Ellis Everware-CBDI Matt Grote Government Accountability Office and Young Government Leaders Tiffani Harris General Services Administration Gary Hockett U.S. Pacific Air Forces Jared Howerton National Nuclear Security Administration Lee James Army James Jones Interior Department Matthew Keeneth Office of Management and Budget Abraham Klinger Midway Research Center/Naval Research Laboratory Carlos Laureano General Dynamics David Lee U.S. Postal Service Mark Lee General Services Administration Vernon Lee Microsoft Yao Liang New York Police Department Kimberly Lyimo Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Isai Marichamy Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles Dana Marlowe TecAccess Gregory Mundell Pragmatics Angela Norris Oracle Federal Dennis Papula General Services Administration Branko Primetica Global Tech Tricia Reed General Services Administration Dan Risacher Office of the Secretary of Defense Kevin Roberson U.S. Postal Service Yash Shah SRA International Thomas Smialowicz Unysis Federal Systems Christopher Traver Bureau of Justice Assistance Alex Turell USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service Michelle Walker Army This is the third year that we have conducted the Rising Star awards. (See winners from and .)There are a ton o' award progra s out there -- some contend there are too many. I still remain baffled about why AFCEA's Bethesda, Md. chapter started a new awards program this year, which seems to just mimic the other established awards programs out there.However, the Rising Star awards program is unique. It recognizes people who otherwise do not get recognition -- the up and coming in the government IT community.In previous years, the Rising Star awards were an FCW production. This year, however, we are featuring winners across the big three 1105 GovInfo publications. In the Aug. 18 issue of FCW will feature the policy and management Rising Stars; the Aug. 18 issue of Government Computer News will feature the technology stars; and in the , they featured the industry Rising Stars. You can right now, but you'll have to wait until Monday to get more details about the remarkable work the other winners. It is worth the wait.All of the winners will be recognized at the on Oct. 22 at the Washington Hilton here in D.C.We are working on a series of e-seminars with some of the winners in the hopes that they can shed some insight about what the world looks like from their perspective.I continue to be passionate about this program. These are remarkable people who don't get enough recognition. And I think it is important that we tap into that perspective if government is going to be able to attract the best and the brightest.So...congratulations to the winners. I am very proud of them.