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DTMBs Laura Clark and MILogin program named 2022 StateScoop 50 Awards winners

The StateScoop 50 Awards, now in their ninth year, highlight the most influential people and most innovative projects in state government. 

Laura Clark, Michigan chief information officer and DTMB chief security officer, has been awarded the GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year. A 15-year veteran of Michigan government IT, Clark pulls double duty as the state’s chief security officer and — as of last October — statewide CIO.

Photo of Laura Clark holding award.

Photo: Laura Clark is pictured holding the GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year Award.

“It’s been an interesting transition,” she said, but one that’s allowed her to look at Michigan’s internal processes and find opportunities modernize legacy systems and support a workforce that’s transitioning from the pandemic into a hybrid-work organization.

She’s also got a growing focus on human-centered design for internal- and external-facing applications, especially as Michigan’s single sign-on portal grows.

“Our residents no longer want to go agency to agency. They want to go through the portal and complete multiple interactions, and they don’t care what agency they’re getting it from,” Clark said.

DTMB’s MILogin single sign-on program, took home the State IT Innovation of the Year award. Over the past two years, MILogin has exploded in popularity as more state services have gone digital. It now claims more than 8.6 million unique users, as Michiganders use single credentials to access unemployment insurance, Medicaid claims, driver’s license services, and business filings with the secretary of state’s office, says Rex Menold, who oversees MILogin as the state’s director of enterprise information, content, and identity management. He also says it’s made those services more secure.

Photo of Rex Menold holding an award.

Photo: Rex Menold is pictured holding the State IT Innovation of the Year Award.

“It’s a thousand times easier to secure one access point than 100 access points,” he says. “That’s why it matters. You need to have a single point of entry. We’re the front door, that first line of defense.”

“This year marks the ninth StateScoop 50 Awards, and my team and I remain thankful for the incredible work done by the state IT community in these challenging times,” said Jake Williams, the vice president of content and community of StateScoop and EdScoop. “The winners of the 2022 StateScoop 50 Awards are truly exceptional leaders and include innovative projects that are setting the stage for even more transformation in government.”

Read the full list of winners.