President’s Inaugural Message to Current and Prospective Members of the Digital Government Society of North America

January 18, 2010

Digital Government has never been more exciting and vibrant than now. Both technological advances and a changed style in political leadership in North America are making possible a new approach to open and transparent government, which re-invigorates the notion of a “government of the people, for the people, and by the people.” We also see a new approach to engaging and involving citizens and businesses in the business of government via participation and collaboration. Social media have begun playing a role in the interactions between citizens and government. At the same time, privacy, security, and the protection of critical infrastructures remain arduous challenges, to name just a few.

In 2010, the research and practice agenda in Digital Government has expanded, and exciting new research directions and practice challenges have emerged. It is up to us to seize the opportunity and make contributions to better understanding and implementation of Digital Government.

Our first two presidents, Sharon Dawes of SUNY Albany and Eduard Hovy of USC, led the Digital Government Society of North America (DGSNA) through the phase of inception to this point, where the Society has firmly established itself with a stable body of membership and the good reputation of an association of high-caliber experts in their respective fields. So, I wholeheartedly thank our past two presidents for their great achievements in the infant phase of this Society.

As the name indicates, DGSNA operates in North America. We conduct our Society’s business in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. We hold our annual international dg.o conferences on a rotational scheme in the three countries. This year the conference rotates to Puebla, Mexico. Our dg.o conference along with the HICSS e-Government Track, the IFIP EGOV conference, and the ICEGOV conference are the top international conferences in Digital or Electronic Government. The dg.o conference attracts scholars and practitioners not only from North America but also from around the globe.

Although we are based in North America, a unique feature of DGSNA is that membership is open to scholars and practitioners from anywhere in the world. We believe that members from outside North America contribute a great deal and also benefit from the value proposition and the network that our Society provides as well as from the experience we are gaining through our operations in North America.

DGSNA is now entering a new phase on its path. This calendar year will be the last in which we enjoy funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). I would like to extend special thanks to NSF and its now retired Digital Government Program officer Larry Brandt who was highly instrumental and effective in forming this research community and supplying it with financial resources and intellectual support in the early stage. From now on, we need to organize the Society’s business based on our own fund raising.

DGSNA has formulated and is now further developing an external value proposition. The Society is not an internally focused organization of scholars and practitioners with a shared interest in Digital Government research. Rather, the Society is interested in propagating and sharing research and practice findings with government agencies and other interested parties, engaging in a vibrant exchange between practice and research for advancing excellence in Digital Government.

As an example, last month the DGSNA leadership and the members of an international working group met with officials from the US General Service Administration (GSA) in Washington, DC to discuss the impacts and challenges of social media in Digital Government. We also shared our research findings and practical recommendations in other areas with GSA, which proved to be of great value to decision-makers in the agency.

In its first meeting last week, the newly elected DGSNA board moved to implement this value proposition by defining three focus areas for calendar year 2010 activities:

1. Increase Impact: DGSNA will expand its external contributions to academia and practice by conducting a number of external and public events, which address important topics in Digital Government research and practice and help connect research and practice even more strongly.
2. Sponsorship Drive: DGSNA adds value to many stakeholders and constituencies inside and outside government. It also has a high potential for collaboration with other organizations and foundations interested in advancing democratic and open digital government. The Society will seek direct sponsorship, financial and in kind, from such organizations and institutions.
3. Membership Drive: The more members the Society has, the better it can advance democratic and open digital government in North America and around the world. New members bring new ideas and experience and, vice versa, benefit from the rich pool of expertise already inside the Society.

Every DGSNA board member has personally signed up to contribute actively to one of the strategic focus areas during 2010. We intend to significantly increase the Society’s external impact, visibility, and reputation as an institution of dedicated and high-caliber experts. We will also strengthen the Society’s financial and membership bases.

This is a particularly good time to renew your membership or join the Society as a member. Become active as a member and join our strategic efforts targeted at increasing external impact, sponsorship, and membership of DGSNA.

Please visit the DGSNA website, or contact Andrew Philpot for enrollment and other information.

I wish all members of the Society and the wider DG community a very productive 2010.

Best wishes,

Hans J (Jochen) Scholl, PhD, MBA

President, Digital Government Society of North America.