GovLoop Advisory Board #2 – Bill Bott

As we mentioned yesterday, we are launching a GovLoop Advisory Board to help us make GovLoop more awesome. More info yesterday

First up yesterday was GL Board Member Craig Newmark
Up on Day 2 is: Bill Bott, Former Deputy CIO, State of Missouri GovLoop Profile

Why Government… I believe that at it’s core the work of government is noble, the people in government are amazing, but the systems of government are an absolute mess. I want to be a part of making them better because it is my duty as a citizen.

Why GovLoop? Because you are working to bring those amazing people together and through that we can change the culture of government. We hear enough of the negative side, GovLoop is a place to celebrate the positive, and I’m totally on board with that!

BIO: After four years of college thinking I wanted to be an advertising executive I learned that Ad Execs spend 3/4 of their careers in sales and the other 1/4 wondering why they pay sales people so much. So I did the next logical thing and began volunteering for the Department of Defense. That led to a job with DoD and that led to a decade helping the Air Force incorporate TQM methodology into the Quality Air Force program. In 1999, I left there to pursue a job with the late Governor Mel Carnahan in an office that was tasked with bringing the Baldrige criteria into state government. While working for the fine citizens of Missouri I learned my real talent was bringing talented people together to tackle the big problems. That culminated in being named a Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year in 2007, the same year I was recognized by the American Business Awards for my work introducing the best practices of private sector technology management into the public sector. After 4 administrations, 8 different desks, 3 different buildings, and too many budget hearings to remember… I decided it was time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I joined my good friend Ken Miller (author of We Don’t Make Widgets) and we are on a crusade to radically improve performance in government – one system at a time.

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e. tyna coles

Bill–
Welcome aboard. We appreciate you taking the time to help us turn this cruise ship around. Could not agree more that the people are great, for the most part, but the systems are seriously in need of streamlining, elimination and updating.

Kitty Wooley

Bill, I think “bringing talented people together to tackle the big problems” is a 21st century competency that hasn’t been taken seriously enough yet. You are perfect for this advisory board!

Bill Bott

Thanks Kitty – and I totally agree that if we are going to increase our capacity to do good – it’s going to take dedicated folks working together with a common vision…