State of Arizona Wins Multiple StateScoop 50 Awards

Phoenix (May 2023) - The annual StateScoop 50 Awards recognize impactful leaders and innovative projects in state government and the IT community. Following nominations and public voting for the 2023 awards, the State of Arizona has won in three categories. 

State CIO J.R. Sloan won a GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year Award. Transforming Arizona’s information security posture, he has set the standard for government cybersecurity. Currently serving as the Arizona Chief Information Officer and StateRAMP’s Board President, Sloan has spearheaded the redefinition of how supply chain risks are managed for SLED governments across the country.

Interim CISO Ryan Murray was recognized with a State Leadership of the Year Award. In the last year, Murray started an ambitious cyber readiness program, which offers free security awareness training and a host of security tools to cities, counties, tribal entities, and K-12 schools. These resources improve the cyber posture across Arizona and provide enhanced visibility and protections for remote workers. As a result of this program, Murray and his team addressed more than 700,000 vulnerabilities at the local level and saved these entities millions of dollars.

Lastly, Business One Stop received a State IT Innovation of the Year Award. Prior to the launch of the portal, Arizona’s process for new business creation was long, confusing, spanned multiple agencies, and required paper forms as well as in-person meetings. As a result of the launch, more businesses may open in Arizona, potentially boosting the state’s economy and providing citizens of Arizona with more options as consumers and improved services.

“For our 10th annual StateScoop 50 Awards, we’re so excited to honor this incredible group of leaders,” said Jake Williams, StateScoop’s vice president of content and community. “The 2023 awards were among our most competitive ever, and this year’s group of winners are truly the top across our community.”

The 2023 awards recognize leaders and projects from 22 states and executives from 14 companies. The complete list of winners are published on StateScoop’s website.