Oveson named a top official in the U.S.

Utah's chief information officer, Val Oveson, has been recognized by Governing Magazine as one of the top public officials in the country for 2004 along with seven others, including the governor of Virginia and the mayor of Atlanta.

Oveson became only the second Utahn to make the national magazine's annual list for giving the state's residents "a citizen-friendly Internet presence that stands far ahead of those virtually everywhere else in the country."

Former Gov. Mike Leavitt, who is now serving as head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, won one of the honors in 1999. The magazine, published by Congressional Quarterly, has been giving out the awards since 1994.

The article about Oveson in the November issue, available at governing.com, describes how the former lieutenant governor sometimes logs on to the state computer from home to answer user questions e-mailed through a "24/7 Live Help" link on Utah's Web site.

That level of involvement is "a remarkable quality that you wouldn't find in the CIOs of other states," said Alan Ehrenhalt, Governing Magazine's executive editor. Ehrenhalt said Oveson also has a rare combination of political and technical skills.

Oveson, who took over the position nearly two years ago after a hiring scandal rocked the state's Division of Information Technology Services, said his staff deserves much of the credit.

"The charge Gov. Leavitt gave me was to get people settled down and back to work again," Oveson said. "That's the contribution I've made. In the intervening two years, we've had some tremendous success."

He said he learned the value of fielding questions directly from the public when he served as Gov. Norm Bangerter's lieutenant governor. "I answered the phone at the front desk several times," Oveson said. "There's no better way to get a feel for what's happening."

Oveson, of course, serves at the pleasure of the governor. He said he has not yet spoken with Gov.-elect Jon Huntsman Jr. about staying on, even though he continued to lead the division after Gov. Olene Walker assumed office last year.

"I am a realist, and I plan to stay through the end of Gov. Walker's term," Oveson said. "After that, we'll see." Besides serving as lieutenant governor, Oveson has also been state auditor and chairman of the State Tax Commission.

Huntsman, who will be sworn in on Jan. 3, is set to announce his transition team today. The 40 or so members of the team will help the new GOP governor identify potential appointments.