GSA #10086

May 20, 2004
Contact: Deborah K. Ruiz (202) 501-1231
deborah.ruiz@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hundreds of top industry executives and senior government officials are expected to arrive in Philadelphia next week for the Management of Change conference which will focus on advances in E-government and on the use of this technology to improve services provided to citizens by government.     The conference is sponsored by the American Council for Technology and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

“A key goal of President Bush’s Management Agenda is to provide citizens with government information and services in the way they want to receive them, not in the way the government wants to provide them,” said Mary Joy (M.J.) Jameson, Associate Administrator of GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications (OCSC), where prime E-Gov responsibilities are housed. “This conference will help federal managers do that by  demonstrating best practices and providing the opportunities to discuss how to deliver world-class customer service with some of the most successful and innovative public and private sector leaders in the country.”

“This conference will be like no other,” agreed George Bohlinger, Vice President of EDS. “By making the sessions interactive instead of ‘talking heads’, we hope to stimulate exciting discussions and produce lasting results.”

Ms. Jameson and Mr. Bohlinger serve as co-chairs for the 2004 MOC conference.

Conference participants will gain a better understanding of how the tools of E-Government can be used to provide information and services related to homeland security, benefits, healthcare, travel and recreation, business and commerce. Through workshops in these areas, state, federal and local officials can craft strategies for delivering a higher level of performance in citizen services. The program will offer both a large conference feel with well-known keynote speakers and a number of smaller, interactive workshops.

Well-known speakers and panelists include GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry, as well as: Karen Evans, Administrator, Office of E-Government, Office of Management and Budget; Joseph Barstys, Manager of Customer Relationships, Subaru of America Inc.; S. David Fineman, Chairman, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service; Terri Shaw, COO, Office of Federal Student Aid, Department of Education; Dianah Neff, CIO, City of Philadelphia; Paul Light, Director, Center for Public Service, Brookings Institution; Clement Bezold, President, Alternative Futures Associates; and Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet & American Life.

The conference will be held May 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Penns Landing in Philadelphia, Pa.  Registration is open to government and industry.  To register, visit www.fgipc.org/events/0406/index.htm