Press Release

Oakland County I.T. Boss Named to Harvard Egovernment Panel

Pontiac, MI, December 1, 2004 -- Philip Bertolini, director of the Oakland County Department of Information Technology, has been selected to serve on the Steering Committee of the eGovernment Compass project of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In announcing Bertolini's appointment, Jerry Mechling, director of the eGovernment Executive Education Project, said, "The eGovernment Compass is a new effort by Harvard to assist in the identification and dissemination of leading edge practices related to the applications of information technology in governments around the world."

According to Mechling, the eGovernment Compass provides a series of web-based tools and resources to help leaders establish strategic priorities in the context of rapidly changing technology capabilities and applications.

"I'm extremely honored to have been asked to serve on this prestigious committee," Bertolini said. "I look forward to providing input that will assist in pushing the development and implementation of e-government technology to new levels of excellence."

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson responded to Bertolini's appointment by saying, "It represents the high esteem with which Oakland County is held nationally in terms of technological achievement."

The eGovernment Compass project is a continuation of applied research on egovernment issues and leadership that originated in Harvard in 1987.

For media inquiries only, please contact Bob Dustman, Oakland County Media and Communications Officer, at 248-858-1048.