On September 24, 2007, the Ash Institute honored the achievements of seven 2007 Innovations in American Government Award winners as well as the organization’s first IBM Award in Transforming Government at a reception and gala at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The event marked the formal start of a full year of festivities celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Innovations in American Government Awards program. The audience included several hundred leaders from all levels of government as well as past Innovations in American Government Award winners. Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill delivered the keynote address and Harvard Kennedy School Dean David Ellwood made introductory remarks. Other notable guests included His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

"We congratulate the 2007 Innovations in American Government and IBM award recipients as well as

the nearly 400 award-winning government programs honored over the past twenty years," said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. "These programs demonstrate that government on all levels can achieve scalable solutions to pressing global issues."

The 2007 Innovations in American Government Award winners are:

Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency - State of Florida

Florida redesigned and modernized its process for determining eligibility for public assistance. The ACCESS Florida model is streamlined, cost efficient and nationally recognized for excellence.

Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) - City of Chicago, Illinois

Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) is the enterprise information system for the entire Chicago Police Department and one of the most sophisticated information systems in the nation.

Climate Protection Initiative - City of Seattle, Washington

The Climate Protection Initiative accelerates climate protection action citywide and in hundreds of other cities, catalyzing grassroots action around the country and promoting essential state and federal policy changes.

Community Care - State of North Carolina

Community Care is a physician-led Medicaid managed care program of local provider networks serving 750,000 patients. The networks improve quality and access to care while saving millions of dollars.

Electronic Court Records - King County, Washington

Electronic Court Records gives court case file users electronic access. Scanning and e-filing have eliminated paper files, resulting in faster processing, desktop access to documents and better security.

Overt Drug Market Strategy - City of High Point, North Carolina

The Overt Drug Market Strategy is a law enforcement/community partnership that collapses drug markets, reduces violence by directly engaging dealers and their families, creates predictable sanctions and offers a range of services.

Urban Land Reform Initiative - Genesee County, Michigan

The Urban Land Reform Initiative is a self-sustaining economic model which connects tax foreclosure with management and disposition of vacant and abandoned property to stabilize neighborhoods and improve the value of urban land.

The IBM Award in Transforming Government winner is:

Institute of Technical Education - Singapore

Formerly a last resort for low-achieving students, Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE) underwent a 10-year reform plan revamping irrelevant curriculum, upgrading learning environments and instating new academic requirements for current teachers.