2019 People's Choice Award winners

We Are All Stewards

Why the 2019 People's Choice Award winners make a difference
GWW Staff

GWW Opinion

GWW Staff

December 31, 2019

There’s one thing we know for sure at GovWebworks: Our people are our strength.

“We are all drivers, depending on the day,” said founder and president, Justin Davis. “We are all stewards, depending on the year. It’s not one person, it’s all of the people who work here who make this happen.”

In that spirit, we recognize those who go above and beyond each year with our own version of the People’s Choice Awards. While ultimately there can only be a few winners (three, to be precise), almost every employee receives praise and votes from their peers in the polling process. The employees recognized for 2019 were:

Best Kept Secret: Ravi Jackson

This awards goes to the person who stands out for consistent delivery of value to the organization, but who may not always be in the spotlight. Ravi’s work is exactly that. As our Public Sector Business Consultant, he’s busy building bridges in the public sector digital community, especially with agencies managing child support and other HHS digital tools.

“Ravi works tirelessly to make contacts and keep GWW’s brand and offerings on the radar of agencies throughout the country,” says one employee. “He is behind the scenes, constantly working hard to promote the GWW brand,” says another.

His activities are mostly outbound, such as email, phone calls, mail and in-person outreach, as well as attending a number of industry conferences. This year’s events included:

Ravi is also a member of the Human Services IT Advisory Group (HSITAG) of CompTIA, where he participates in member-driven working groups relating to HHS technology issues.

Previously, Ravi worked in state government in roles including Accounting Manager at the State of Maine Judicial Branch, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management, and Director of Special Projects for the Commissioner’s Office at the State of Maine Department of Education.

He also brings his knowledge of policy development, research, and data analytics to his blog posts on HHS technology.

Grace Under Pressure: Adam Kempler

This is the employee who is best known to be unflappable, and who demonstrates tact, consistent productivity, and exceptional grace when under pressure.

“Adam’s approach to projects is steady and organized,” said one co-worker. “He doesn’t let the chaos get the best of him. He’s a great person to have on any team.”

Adam’s leadership with Missouri Department of Conservation web presence has earned the trust of the client with initiatives including:

  • GIS functionality and interactive ESRI map data integration for hiking, fishing, hunting, and boating
  • Updating site components for optimization of performance
  • A Drupal-based 508 Accessibility Task Management tracking portal to tag compliance records for WCAG AA compliance
  • Introduction of a chatbot pilot with natural voice and text interaction to help guide the user to the most relevant content

Adam’s ability to break down complex processes into simple steps instills confidence and collaboration on his teams. He also specializes in a component-driven approach to the Drupal CMS, which gives the client more control over back-end administration.

As one team member noted, “You want Adam at the helm because he knows where he wants to go.”

Other projects that have benefited from Adam’s expertise include:

Adam brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his projects. In previous jobs, he developed a tool for newspapers and advertisers to create and manage online ad programs. He was also the co-founder of the Celsius Technology Group, where he developed a publishing solution for newspapers, magazines, schools, local government, and non-profits.

Finally, Adam is known for his great taste in snacks, and for generously sharing them around the office!

Most Valuable Player: Eric Dixon

The MVP is the employee who has been most essential to the company’s mission over the past year. Eric was overwhelmingly recognized by his coworkers for his work with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW). Team members especially appreciated his leadership on the modernization of the state’s child support platform.

“He’s been a great developer since I’ve known him, but Eric really stepped up this year and filled a leadership role on the Dromedary team, guiding the delivery of the highly successful Nexi project,” said one co-worker. “He is always willing to help, and is trusted by his teammates and the client.”

Idaho’s new Nexi platform is a modern web application that supports the department’s case management specialists, supervisors, and attorneys. The platform has reduced training time and improved staff morale. This allows Child Support Enforcement team members to better help parents and support their children and families.

Said another team member, “Eric is not only the go-to developer for Nexi, but his experience with other projects as well as his prior work experience means he brings a wealth of knowledge that he is more than willing to share, be it in Dev Lunches or hallway conversations,” said a team member. “Coupled with his friendly demeanor and awesome sense of humor, Eric is a great asset to PWW.”

The list of projects Eric has contributed to include:

  • Helped architect the modernization of the mainframe-based Child Support system, Nexi
  • Key contributor for the implementation of Activiti in Nexi to form the base of the task management system
  • Development of PDAP v1 to make necessary benefit information available to Idaho partners
  • Contributed to the idalink Health Coverage Assistance Application to allow Idahoans to sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act
  • Key contributor to the “You Are Here” functionality that helps users of the system understand where they are in the process of their benefits evaluation
  • Assisted with a HCA Re-Evaluation form that allows beneficiaries to keep their eligibility for health coverage assistance current

Equally impressive, Eric is the father of two young children, ages four and two. He graduated from Brigham Young University in Idaho in 2014 and previously worked on a missionary selection application used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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