GTRA will be including the award winners in a beta group established for supporting the new technology initiatives being brought forth by the Obama administration.

Senior government technology delegates and industry solution providers who were assembled at the annual GTRA Symposium chose to honor executives such as:

Kevin Lawson, Branch Chief of the Applications Development Branch for the Transportation Security Administration, who discussed the influx of Web 2.0 technologies in the federal sector and won the award for Most Cutting Edge Speaker.

Dr. Rocky Young, Associate Professor of Systems Management with the National Defense University, who directed the popular ‘Hacking Challenge’ workshop, which is otherwise only available through NDU courses, took home the award for Best Demonstration.

Ron Ross, Senior Computer Scientist at NIST, and Dr. Scott Bernard, Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Federal Railroad Administration, Transportation were voted Most Cutting-Edge Presentation for their FEA Security and Privacy Profile Update address.

OMB’s Kshemendra Paul, Chief Architect, Office of E-Government & Information Technology/Office of Management & Budget was voted Best Speaker.

Mr. Paul’s predecessor Dick Burk, Former Federal Enterprise Architect Program Chief Architect, Office of Management and Budget was voted Most Dynamic Speaker.

PhishMe, a security solution for protecting enterprises from “phishing” hackers who steal identities, hijack online brokerage accounts, and other malicious attacks such as gaining unauthorized access to enterprise networks, was voted Best Boardroom Meeting. PhishMe’s CEO, Rohyt Belani, facilitated a series of executive boardroom meetings with groups of government technology executives to present ‘Spear Phishing: Train your Workforce to Dodge the Hook’.

“Privacy is one of the top concerns government security executives are facing” said Kelly Yocum, CEO GTRA. “PhishMe’s boardroom series provided much needed discussions about privacy problems and phishing firewall solutions.”

Other awards include: Cisco’s Dr. James Ransome, CISSP, CISM, Senior Director, Secure Unified Wireless and Mobility Solutions, Corporate Security Programs & Global Government Solutions, Cisco Systems was voted the Most Dynamic Speaker.
IronKey, manufacturer of secure flash drive used by FEMA and DHS, was voted the Most Valuable Solution Provider and Troux, a leader in Enterprise Architecture IT, landed the award for the ArchitectureGOV MVSP.
 
The 2008 award recipients will be inducted to the GTRA Advisory Board for 2009 to advise the Government Technology Research Alliance Council on critical security, infrastructure, energy, leadership and health IT initiatives. The advisory council’s top priority this year will be supporting the Obama administration’s technology strategy and providing the information, training, and solutions necessary to carry the president’s objectives out.
 
“GTRA’s Advisory Board comprised of both government and industry technology leaders stands ready to support the Obama administration’s technology initiatives,” said Parham Eftekhari, Co-Founder & Director of Research & Curriculum Development, GTRA. “Forward-thinking leaders will work to ensure the success of E-GOV initiatives and Obama’s new technology vision will increase our nation’s security, service-to-the-citizen, and maximize limited resources.”

About GTRA: GTRA brings together executive-level government technology Security, Enterprise Architecture, Green IT and Health IT leaders to collaborate, strategize and create innovative solutions. The semi-annual GTRA Symposiums address the topics identified through research with the government Council members and industry experts. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, knowledge is exchanged in a peer-to-peer forum, resulting in actionable government-wide strategic plans and cutting-edge solutions.  Through a unique collaborative methodology, GTRA is revolutionizing the way government does business.

PR CONTACT:
Amanda Vlastas, GTRA
Email: amandav@gtra.org
Phone: (415) 819-3828
Website: www.gtra.org