Sir Tim Berners-Lee Accepts Pathfinder Award at LNW Program
AS Published On Thursday, February 14, 2008  By the Harvard Crimson
By ATHENA Y. JIANG
Crimson Staff Writer

 February 14, 2008

The man credited with inventing the World Wide Wide, Sir Timothy J. Berners-Lee, urged leaders of academic, private, and governmental organizations to recognize and reap the benefits of the open culture of the digital world at an event at the Harvard Kennedy School yesterday evening.

Berners-Lee received the third annual Pathfinder Award from the Kennedy School’s Leadership for a Networked World program, which aims to educate leaders about changes driven by the digitalization of information. The award recognizes individuals who have made innovations in government through technology.

"The government's challenges have been fundamentally influenced by the World Wide Web," said Jerry E. Mechling '65, director of the Networked World program, about the organization's decision to chose a technology researcher rather than a politician for the first time.

In his speech last night, Berners-Lee said that the Internet has broken down boundaries and created a culture that uses shared space.

"We're making standards for a world in which people use the Web to communicate," said Berners-Lee, who now serves as the director of the World Wide Web Consortium. "When they use the Web to communicate, they're in a world of overlapping cultures, overlapping communities."

Berners-Lee said that one of his hopes for the future of the Internet is the semantic Web—an evolution of the World Wide Web in which different types of data can be integrated and easily accessed. As an example, Berners-Lee said that this system could allow users to determine the most efficient way to buy a cup of coffee, visit friends, and return to their hotel room with a single query, instead of searching for the three items separately.

To realize such a vision, individual organizations must be willing to release their data for public use, requiring great courage and initiative, according to Berners-Lee.

"It's common in an organization for people to feel protective about their data," he said. "The leadership that is required to change the ethos, the fear that happens about letting go of the data, is huge,"

But when an audience member questioned the potential dangers of bringing more data into the public domain, Berners-Lee replied that it would be necessary to ensure that new technology does not violate personal privacy.

"We want the technology to be the Lego for a nice world, a world we want to live in," he said.

— Staff writer Athena Y. Jiang can be reached at ajiang@fas.harvard.edu.

Teri Takai, Chief Information Officer of Michigan,
Assumes New Role as Practitioner Chair of the
Harvard Policy Group on Network-Enabled Services and Government
 
March 21–22, 2007

Click here to read Government Technology's coverage of this event.

January 31, 2007: Teresa (Teri) Takai, CIO of the State of Michigan and the President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, will take on a new role as the Practitioner Chair of the Harvard Policy Group on Network-Enabled Services and Government (HPG).

Professor Jerry Mechling of the Kennedy School of Government will formally announce Ms. Takai's new role as practitioner chair on March 21, 2007, during a dinner event for the "Cross-Boundary Governance through Agreements and Standards" executive practice session. As Practitioner Chair of the HPG, Ms. Takai will lead efforts on identifying and disseminating best practices and innovations utilizing digital information and networks in government settings, in addition to helping to set the direction for the Leadership for a Networked World executive education program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The ceremony will be preceded by a speech by William Bratton, Chief of Police of Los Angeles, who will be speaking on the coming challenges of safety and security.

Ms. Takai is the Director of the Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT), serving as the state's Chief Information Officer. She was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm and was confirmed by the Senate in February 2003. Her broad experience includes working as a senior executive at Ford Motor Company, where she led the development of the company's IT strategic plan. Ms. Takai has also held senior positions at EDS where she managed the global supply chain for General Motors and at Federal Mogul, where she was the Director of Process Development.

"I am excited about the opportunity to work with the Harvard Policy Group," said Takai. "There are many success stories across the country when it comes to the utilization of digital information in government. I look forward to leading an effort that will share those best practices, educating our government executives, and setting the course for the future for continued improvement and efficiency in government service." 

Ms. Takai's position as the Director of MDIT represents her first experience in the public sector, reporting directly to the Governor. Ms. Takai is responsible for developing a new organization and its 1,700 employees in order to provide critical IT services to Michigan's government. She has led Michigan to the #1 ranking among the 50 states when it comes to digital government in an evaluation performed by the Center for Digital Government.

"As public challenges and citizen demands become more complex, we need to find the new solutions and help move them forward," said Jerry Mechling, Faculty Director of the HPG and Leadership for a Networked World Program. "Teri Takai has been at the forefront of leading private-sector and public-sector innovation and best practice and we are looking forward to her direction and insights."

The March 21–22, 2007, Harvard session on "Cross-Boundary Governance through Agreements and Standards" will explore the challenges of cross-organizational information sharing, service delivery, and partnerships facing governments and industries in the coming years and will be attended by practitioners in government, industry, and academia. Participants will explore emerging best practices in networked industry and government on using agreements and standards to transform not just individual programs, but entire policy communities and industries. Participants will learn about and discuss the benefits, costs, and risks of setting explicit standards.

For more information on this event, please visit: http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/execed/lnw2.

William J. Bratton, Chief of Police, Los Angeles Police Department,
to Address Upcoming Executive Practice Session on
"Cross-Boundary Governance through Agreements and Standards"

 March 21–22, 2007

January 22, 2007: William J. Bratton, noted Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), author, and lecturer, will speak on "The Challenges Ahead for Safety and Security," at the John F. Kennedy School of Government on March 21, 2007.

The session sponsored by the Leadership for a Networked World Program, entitled "Cross-Boundary Governance through Agreements and Standards," will explore the challenges of cross-organizational information sharing, service delivery, and partnerships facing governments and industries in the coming years. and will be attended by senior practitioners in government, industry, and academia. Chief Bratton has noted that, "More than ever before in our history, police leaders must manage change in order to balance their local public safety responsibilities with national homeland security priorities. Accountability, transparency, cooperation, and communication are and will continue to be the keys to success in this era of constant change."

William J. Bratton was appointed Chief of the LAPD in October 2002. Chief Bratton oversees the third largest police department in the United States, managing 9,300 sworn officers, 3,000 civilian employees, and an annual budget of more than one billion dollars. He also served as the head of the Boston and the New York City police departments, where he changed the paradigm and introduced dramatic accountability-driven crime reduction. A strong community policing advocate, he is directing a major reengineering of the LAPD, decentralizing the bureaucracy, strengthening local commands, increasing responsiveness to community concerns, and developing strategies to counter gang-related crimes and the threat of terrorism. During his first four years as Chief in Los Angeles, the LAPD has driven crime down to levels not seen there since the 1950's. During his tenure, the Department has also developed one of the most comprehensive and effective counter-
terrorism operations in the country."

As organizations and constituent needs grow more interconnected and complex, performance and technical standards become critical for driving effectiveness. It takes strong and adaptive leaders to understand the new possibilities and make the required changes happen," says Jerry Mechling, Faculty Director of the Leadership for a Networked World Program. "Chief Bratton has been at the forefront of change and problem-solving, and we are looking forward to learning from his insights."

At the March 21–22, 2007, session at Harvard, participants will explore emerging best practices in networked industry and government on using agreements and standards to transform not just individual programs, but entire policy communities and industries. Participants will learn about and discuss the benefits, costs, and risks of adopting explicit standards.

For more information on this event, please visit: http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/execed/lnw2.