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IPMA News : August 2002
Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley and Bob Monn
IPMA News : August 2002Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley and Bob Monn |
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Meet Marty Daybell, OSPI's New CIO
Summary of July 11, 2002 IPMA Board Meeting
-- By Mary Ellen Bradley, IPMA News Co-Editor
Marty Daybell is the new information technology director at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. He began his job with the state on April 1, 2002. The IPMA would like to welcome him and introduce him to you.
What is your background?
I spent the early years of my life in a small town in Nevada called Blue Diamond. When I was growing up, the super market, post office, and theatre was all one building. My father's job with the forestry transferred him to Utah and I finished my BS degree in Mathematics and Chemical Engineering at University of Utah. I'm currently in the process of completing my PhD in Theoretical Mathematics. Growing up, I had several interesting jobs from washing dishes to working in a Toxicology lab, but the best was definitely operating an old steam engine train called the Heber Creeper.
How did you become involved in Information Technology?
My first programming languages were in FORTRAN and Assembly on an old card reader compiler. I would have to say my interest in IT was really sparked after touring a building in DC as a young boy and seeing a water cooled mainframe on the computer floor. I couldn't tell you what it was, but I remember being mesmerized by the box and asking the tour guide several questions that made him uncomfortable.
How did I become involved in State Government?
Shortly after September 11th, I started to evaluate what I was doing with technology and how I used it to benefit the world in which I live. My first real love was in the field of education, so I started to poke around to determine the need and direct application of my skills. Much to my surprise and delight, it has been a perfect fit and I enjoy coming to work each day with the challenge of using technology to benefit education reform in the state of Washington.
What differences have you noted between private sector and the public sector?
What do you see as the role of technology in state government?
What are the greatest challenges you face as a technology manager in government?
What do you want to accomplish at your agency?
What in your career has given you the greatest satisfaction and pride?
The differences between the public and private sector are definitely not in the field of technology. In my career, I've managed IT divisions in fields of medicine, transportation, ESP, network communications, ASP, and DOD. With each of these areas, I can assure you the technology challenges never changed. In the public sector the challenges are more political and educational. The environment is political in the sense that you just can't design the best solution, but it must be the best solution for the political dynamics at play. Educational because I find the constant need to cheerlead the cause that technology is all about data and wires, and one doesn't really need 'unique' applications wrapped around this bundle of data and wires.
This plays well with how I see the role of technology within government. It is so easy to impress those outside of technology with our neat applications. We must take true pride in our research to ensure we are not building technology for the sake of technology. Each possible solution must be carefully examined and then the appropriate decisions weighed against the customers' real needs.
As a leader in technology for the government, I believe the greatest challenge before us is usability and reusability. We have to find a way to ensure what is being designed and developed is truly meeting the needs of our constituents. Furthermore, we must become better at developing applications in reusable libraries. There is much development in government agencies that is similar from an engineering perspective if the proper methodologies are followed.
When I walk away from this job, I will have considered myself successful if I have made it easier to recruit and retain educators in the state of Washington, if a teacher in the classroom can use their skills more effectively, and if Data Driven Decisions can be modeled because of the data repositories put in place.
In my career, I've had several satisfying experiences and have been rewarded generously in many ways. Among my most satisfying project was establishing my first relational database in 1982 for a Toxicology lab. I originally started the job in the evening hours cleaning the lab to earn extra money for graduate school. While cleaning, several papers were left out on lab tables and it was clear that many tedious hours were being spent by the doctors comparing several hundred chemical compounds against competing environmental factors. I spent the weekend designing and building a database incorporating much of their day-to-day analysis work and then presented my completed project to technicians and doctors. There were shouts of joy from a group of doctors who were not easy to impress. This was one of my first experiences at assisting others to see how their problems can be modeled into an engineering solution. Isn't this the answer to technology path we travel? My hope is to always have my customer's needs up front and provide the technical infrastructure to support their needs.
5 Years Ago -- August 1997 IPMA Newsletter
10 Years Ago -- August 1992 IPMA Newsletter
15 Years Ago -- August 1987 IPMA Newsletter
20 Years Ago -- August 1982 Association of Data Processing Managers Newsletter (No newsletter was published this month.)
25 Years Ago -- August 1977 Association of Data Processing Managers Newsletter
Members Present: Mary Ellen Bradley, Phil Grigg, Dennis Jones, Dennis Laine, Mike McVicker, Bob Monn, Christy Ridout, Darrel Riffe, Doug Tanabe and Shelagh Taylor. Jim Andersen, the Forum Events Manager, and Phil Coates, CFO were present.
Doug Tanabe, IPMA Chair, opened the July 2002 meeting of the IPMA Board of Directors at 7:35 a.m.
Reports
Secretary/Treasurer: The minutes from the June 2002 Board meeting were approved.
The Board approved the June 2002 financial status and activities reports.
Business Planning: Phil Coates reported that a recent cash flow analysis, calculating the changed format from Executive Seminar to the Executive Summit, shows that the organization will end the year with a cash balance of approximately $22,000. The organization ended 2001 with a cash balance of $43,000.
Mike McVicker reported that he had not received the investment account status report from Merrill Lynch.
Forum 2003: Dennis Laine reported that Forum 2002 generated a profit of about $30,000 that will go to help fund other IPMA programs.
Jim Andersen reported that checks have been received from fifteen Corporate Sponsors to date. Five others report that the check is in the mail.
The board approved a suggestion made by Jim to put the ITEC show in Seattle May 13-14, 2003, on the IPMA Web site home page calendar. Jim is attempting to develop a working relation with that group that could lead to possible speakers for the Forum.
The board approved a proposal to raise the fee for Vendor booths from $795 to $825. The rate has remained the same for five years. It was agreed that the show is a much better value than it was at the Tyee.
The board approved the cancellation policy that Jim had developed and applied in the past. It is as follows:
1. No vendor fees will be refunded within 45 days of the scheduled event.
2. If cancellation is received before 45 days, fifty percent of the vendor fee will be reimbursed if the vendor has paid and been given access to the IPMA mailing lists. A vendor, with prior approval of the IPMA, may reassign its booth to another vendor. The IPMA will help find a replacement vendor.
Executive Summit 2002: Phil Grigg reported that as of July 10, 51 people have registered. He estimates total attendance to be 73 - 75. Twenty five of those registered have also signed up to take the bus being provided by IPMA. Phil reported that the agenda planning meeting held June 27 was very productive and has resulted in a very strong agenda for the event. He expressed many thanks to all who participated.
Professional Development: Dennis Jones reported that the IPMA has declined the Department of Personnel's offer to handle registrations for IPMA events. Six dates have been reserved at Saint Martin's for events in 2003. The schedule is being developed. The remaining events for 2002 are; Aug. 21, 2002 - Enterprise Architecture and Oct. 16, 2002 - Data to Information.
Communications: Bob Monn reported that the July e-Newsletter was out and the announcement sent to the mailing list.
New Business:
Doug Tanabe received a Non-profit annual report/filing that needed to be handled. Phil Coates was given the document and instructed to develop the appropriate documentation to accompany the form to the State Treasurer.
There will be no board meeting in August. The next meeting will be September 12, 2002.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 a.m.
IPMA, P.O. Box 1943, Olympia, WA 98507-1943