New Jersey Chief Technology Officer Charles S. Dawson participated in the National Association of State Chief Information Officers' (NASCIO) fourth annual D.C. Fly-In on June 2-3, 2004. Dawson joined technology leaders from 14 other states in meeting with members of Congress, administration officials, and state congressional staffs to discuss issues affecting state information technology.

"I extend my gratitude to the hard-working officials at NASCIO for organizing this unique event," said Dawson. "Bringing together officials from different levels of government is the first step in building long-lasting cooperative relationships. While our responsibilities differ, our goal is the same: providing the best service to the constituents."

"The Fly-In provides an opportunity for state CIOs to share their expertise on critical issues with their state representatives and with officials from all levels of government," said NASCIO President and Missouri CIO Gerry Wethington.

Dawson met with Reps. Mike Ferguson, Rush Holt, and Frank LoBiondo as well as staff members from the offices of Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, and Steven Rothman. The discussions focused on cyber-security and domestic preparedness issues. Under Dawson's leadership, New Jersey has developed and implemented a robust plan to address issues of cyber-security and disaster recovery. The state's major security initiative is a partnership with the U.S. Army to develop a comprehensive intrusion detection system that will identify any unauthorized access to state computer networks.

The congressmen also talked with Dawson about economic development opportunities within technology. The New Jersey Office of Information Technology, which Dawson leads, has hosted a series of seminars for women and minority-owned small businesses over the past two years. These events are highlighted by the annual Contacts for Contracts event, which brings representatives from small and large technology companies together to explore potential business partnerships.

The Fly-In consisted of a full day of individual meetings between NASCIO members and national leaders and their staffs. The event concluded with a half-day intergovernmental roundtable that provided a venue for collaborative discussions among state CIOs and federal, state and local IT practitioners and policy makers. This year's roundtable addressed the role of the state CIO in achieving wireless communications interoperability, with a focus on building intergovernmental partnerships and developing strategies that emphasize short-term solutions as well as long-term planning and architectural principles.

NASCIO is the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and represents the state chief information officers from the 50 states, six U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Other IT officials participate as associate members and private sector representatives may become corporate members.

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For more information on NASCIO, contact NASCIO Communications Coordinator Beth Roszman at 859-514-9167.