CDPS Executive Director Earns National Technology Champion Award

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(May 12, 2021) - The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recognized Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director Stan Hilkey with the association’s 2021 Technology Champion Award on May 11. 

Hilkey was nominated for his leadership in encouraging CDPS to re-imagine how the department delivers services, including innovative solutions and new technology. In particular, Hilkey was recognized for championing the state’s development and implementation of the Colorado Digital ID in myColorado, the State of Colorado’s official mobile app.

On Oct. 30, 2019, Governor Jared Polis signed an Executive Order to authorize Digital ID as a legal form of identification in Colorado. The Denver Police Department has been accepting the Digital ID since its inception, and Colorado State Patrol joined the program in November 2020. More than 425 restaurants, bars, businesses and state agencies have also joined the myColorado Partner Program and accept the Digital ID. 

Colorado is the first state in the nation to offer residents the option to electronically transmit digital identification, vehicle registration and proof of insurance to law enforcement. The myColorado app also allows residents to renew their driver license, generate a digital fishing license, receive notifications about important state news, securely store personal and payment information, and easily search for online state services in one place. More than 135,000 Coloradans have downloaded the myColorado app to their smartphones via the App Store or Google Play. 

Hilkey’s NASCIO nomination reads, “change can be difficult in the best of circumstances and when you are responsible for protecting public safety, it is not uncommon to see resistance when it comes to technology. If not implemented properly, the consequences can be severe. Under Director Hilkey’s leadership, CDPS is re-imagining how they deliver service to customers.” Hilkey is encouraging employees to “explore and adopt a wide range of technological solutions that can better serve customers while maintaining their core mission of protecting public safety.”

NASCIO created the Technology Champion Award in 2003 to recognize outstanding individual contributions to the field of information technology in the public sector. Recipients further NASCIO’s vision of a government in which the public is fully served through the efficient and effective use of technology policy.

Learn more about the NASCIO Technology Champion award and prior recipients at www.nascio.org/awards.