Recognizing public service teams that have improved their service delivery, addressed problems and demonstrated measurable results, DePaul University’s Government Assistance Program (GAP) and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation named the winners of the inaugural Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Public Innovator Award at a luncheon today sponsored by AT&T Wireless.

The Driehaus Foundation Public Innovator Award honors agencies that complete innovative projects in one of the three following categories: design of physical space; technology; and capacity building, such as mentoring programs. Winners of the award must be members of a cross-departmental or inter-agency team, their project must be based in Illinois and prove tangible results, such as cost savings or increased efficiency. Projects also included a community or stakeholder input component.

Each of the three winners will receive a $5,000 award, which must be applied toward public awareness or education, funding a new staff member or consultant for a new project, or to purchase equipment and materials associated with a project.

The 2003 Driehaus Public Innovator Award winners are:

• E-Governance Award: Chicago Transit Authority

Faced with a formidable infrastructure improvement need, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) formed a partnership to help with planning, design and construction of its multi-billion dollar capital improvement program. In addition to a quality-control program, CTA’s team implemented a comprehensive Web-based project management system, ProjectNet, to consolidate and enhance gains in workflow efficiency. As a result of these innovations, the Douglas Branch Rehabilitation program may be completed 255 days ahead of schedule at a savings of $1.7 million.

• Physical Design Award: Chicago Department of Environment

The Chicago Department of Environment was honored for two "Green Initiatives" in this category. First, the Chicago Center for Green Technology is a collaboration between local government, community groups and private partners to serve as an office space, manufacturing facility and job training center. The building itself is a model of "green design," and the center is a resource for those wanting to learn more about sustainable technologies. Additionally, the agency was honored for its Green Bungalow Initiative, which incorporates the benefits of green building design with a beloved style of Chicago architecture. The initiative sponsored an open house tour for more than 2,000 homeowners, architects and students who learned about environmentally-friendly ideas for bungalow design and renovation.

• Capacity Building Award: Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

The Clerk’s office established the Cook County Integrated Criminal Justice Information Systems (CCICJIS) Committee. The committee, composed of local and state law enforcement and legal agencies, was designed to address the lack of timely, accurate and complete criminal history data exchanged between justice agencies around the state. The committee worked to develop the CCICJIS Strategic Plan, a four-phase process for integrating information between agencies more accurately and efficiently. The plan also recommended actions for eight identified strategic issues to achieve its goals. Due to the committee’s efforts, the agencies involved have already begun to address their cultures and alter their processes in advance of the changes.

The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation was founded in 1983 and supports the arts, architecture and design, and economic opportunity. It also encourages and celebrates efforts to enable government to be more accountable to its citizens and workers. Established in 1989, GAP works to develop innovative partnerships with government agencies to strengthen their capacity to deliver excellent service to the public.

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and one of the ten largest private universities in the United States. A richly diverse population of 23,610 students attends classes on two city and five suburban campuses.