July 10, 2013
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. -- During this morning's Cabinet meeting, Governor Mike Pence presented the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources, as well as specific State employees, with the Governor's INnovation Award. The Governor gives the INnovation Award to recognize efficiency and innovation within state government and to encourage a culture of continuous improvement among employees and agencies.
The Governor honored Vijay Marakani, Dave Coleman, Mike Wampler and Stacey Larkin from the Indiana Department of Transportation for their work on DamageWise, which assists in the collection of State property damaged by traffic accidents. The system automatically pulls relevant information from the State Police Crash Report system, allows field personnel to easily and accurately assess damage through an iPad application and routes the assessment within INDOT to reach the collection staff. In Fiscal Year 2013, INDOT collected more than $2 million more than in Fiscal Year 2010 using this system.
In addition, John Davis and Nick Heinzelman of the Department of Natural Resources received the award for their work on the Conservation and Recreation Area project, which aims to protect and conserve land for future generations. The concept, which also will be used as an educational tool to further the conservation ethic, calls for a large-scale, non-traditional, land protection public-private partnership within a designated geographical area. The project also calls for protecting land and water within a watershed, resulting in increased recreational opportunities as well as enhancing water quality.
"I applaud the efforts of the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources and the individuals presented today with the INnovation Award," said Governor Pence. "Their vision, creativity and drive serve to inspire agencies and employees across State government, and their work will benefit Hoosiers for generations to come."
Source: Office of Indiana Governor Mike Pence
