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Secretary Tom Ridge Keynotes Government Technology Summit
December 12, 2007 - Technology, preparedness, change management and leadership highlighted the keynote address of Tom Ridge at the 2007 Digital Government Summit, held in Boston, Massachusetts.
"Technology is the Swiss Army knife of innovative governance," said Ridge, a former governor of Pennsylvania and the First Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "When you combine people and technology, you bring together creative thinking with transformative tools, which creates a culture of entrepreneurial thinking about the way government should and can work.
"The key to your ability to deliver services and outcomes, whether in the public sector or private sector, is to be on the forefront. Manage change before it manages you. Identify risks and then use the opportunity to get out in front of them and transform your organizations."
Approximately 400 state and local government leaders attended the summit, which addressed e-government issues, privacy, performance management, collaborative leadership and communication, and other core issues facing government leaders in the 21st century.