FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) today announced that it has awarded Kay Kapoor, President, AT&T Government Solutions, the prestigious Janice K. Mendenhall Spirit of Leadership Award for her significant contributions to the federal information technology (IT) community. Kapoor was among seven individuals recognized for their demonstrated leadership and commitment to public service at the ACT-IAC 2014 Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) in Colonial Williamsburg, Va.
Established in 2001, the Janice K. Mendenhall Spirit of Leadership Award commemorates the life of long-time civil servant Janice Mendenhall, an exceptional leader who was known for her dedication to mentoring others and strengthening government and industry relations. The award is the highest tribute bestowed upon an ACT-IAC member.
Robert Suda, IAC Vice Chair and long-time colleague of Mendenhall, presented Kapoor with the award in recognition of her long history of leadership and commitment to creating a more effective government to serve the nation. During her more than 25 years in the federal marketplace, Kapoor has championed the development of innovative, effective technology solutions to support government. Throughout her career, she has also made time to encourage and mentor the younger generation – especially women. She has been a long-time supporter and participant in ACT-IAC and other non-profit organizations, such as the American Red Cross. Kapoor is also on the advisory board of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Suda noted that Kapoor’s leadership in a variety of fields and her commitment to the development of others is in the best tradition of the Mendenhall Award.
Additional Award Presentations
ACT-IAC Leaders Award
ACT President Rick Holgate and IAC Chair Dan Chenok jointly presented the ACT-IAC Leaders Award to two individuals who have made exceptional contributions to ACT-IAC and the government IT community during the past year. John Grant, Director, Customer Accounts and Research, in the Denver office of the General Services Administration (GSA), has played a significant and vital role in the creation of the ACT-IAC Rocky Mountain chapter. This chapter is providing a trusted and objective forum for government and industry employees in the Denver area to communicate and collaborate. Kimberly Purlia, Managing Partner of Purlia Parris, is the chair of the new ACT-IAC Small Business Alliance. In this role she is leading efforts to enhance the quality and growth opportunities of small businesses in the government marketplace. Both individuals were honored for their commitment to improving government and supporting public-private collaboration.
ACT-IAC Individual Contributor of the Year Award
The ACT-IAC Individual Contributor of the Year Award – Government was presented to Charles Santangelo, Senior IT Policy and Budget Advisor, Department of Homeland Security. Allen Ashbey, Director of Business Development, Sapient, received the ACT-IAC Individual Contributor of the Year Award – Industry. Both individuals were recognized for their significant contributions to ACT-IAC over the past year.
ACT-IAC Rookie of the Year Award
The ACT-IAC Rookie of the Year Award was presented to Jared Townshend, Senior Manager, Deloitte. This award honors an individual who is relatively new to ACT-IAC and, in a short time, has already demonstrated active involvement across a range of activities in the organization.
ACT-IAC Ginny McCormick New Heights Award
In 2013, ACT-IAC established the Ginny McCormick New Heights Award in memory of Ginny McCormick, a pioneer of the federal IT community who served 46 years as a civil servant. In 1979, McCormick was reassigned from her position as a GSA employee to become the secretary and treasurer of a new non-profit organization, the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC), later renamed the American Council for Technology (ACT). McCormick managed the organization as its sole employee for 15 years, helping the federal IT community define government-industry partnerships through collaborative conferences and events. McCormick set the standard for the many ACT-IAC volunteers who have followed in her footsteps. The award recognizes that volunteer spirit. In 2014, the award was presented to Rabiah Sutton, Executive with FWDThink. Sutton has made and continues to make significant contributions to the government IT community through her many volunteer contributions in ACT-IAC.
“One of the characteristics that sets ACT-IAC apart from other organizations in our community is the engagement and passion of so many exceptional volunteers. The individuals who have been recognized this year represent the best of the best,” said ACT-IAC Executive Director Kenneth Allen. “Through their dedication, their investment of personal time and their commitment to the idea that collaboration produces better outcomes, we are all winners in our quest to create a more effective and innovative government.”
About ACT-IAC – Advancing Government Through Collaboration, Education, and Action
ACT-IAC is the premier public-private partnership in the government IT community and an example of how government and industry work together. ACT-IAC is a nonprofit educational organization created to advance government through collaboration and education. The organization provides an objective, vendor and technology-neutral and ethical forum where government and industry are working together to develop innovative strategies, effective and efficient solutions and best practices. Headquartered in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, ACT-IAC also has chapters in Pacific region (based in San Diego) and the Rocky Mountain region (based in Denver).
Learn more about our organization and how to become a member at https://actiac.org or call (703) 208-4800. Connect with ACT-IAC on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.