Yuma County official honored by Computerworld

Neal Puff, Yuma County's chief information officer, has been selected by Computerworld, a weekly magazine, as one of its 2008 Premier 100 IT leaders.

The annual Premier 100 IT Leaders list honors the best information technology executives who have led their organizations by mentoring and motivating employees, envisioning innovative solutions to business challenges and effectively managing and executing IT strategies.

Puff, chosen from among more than 800 nominees, said he was "a bit stunned" since the selections are typically picked from large corporations such as General Motors, but if nothing else, it is a "good mark" for the county and "more people will look to Yuma, if they haven't already."

"It's one of those things I dreamed of accomplishing. It's a wonderful feeling to accomplish a life goal."

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Puff said he believes one of the factors in his selection was the county's use of virtualization technology. The technology, which includes online mapping systems used by the county's public works department and assessor's and sheriff's offices, improves the county's response time and reduces cost to deliver county services, he said.

An IT manager traditionally has been viewed as strictly someone who provides support service to others in an organization by setting up and maintaining their computer and technological systems. But in Yuma County, IT is working with policymakers to enhance operations by taking a more active part in delivering services, Puff explained.

Puff credited his staff and county officials with helping him win the honor.

"I have a lot of tech background that helps. But it's people in your IT group that makes Yuma great. And all the elected officials were a great help directly or indirectly by supporting various IT programs."

The people who appear on the 2008 list were measured against Computerworld’s IT Leadership Index, a set of characteristics that describes executives who guide the effective use of IT in their organizations, and then evaluated by the editors and by a panel of outside judges.

The candidates were asked about a range of topics, including their backgrounds, work experiences, special accomplishments and leadership styles.

Editors at Computerworld also sought references as part of the evaluation process. Deputy County Attorney Robert Pickels, who had been serving as acting county administrator, was contacted by the magazine.

"We're fortunate to have someone of his capability working for Yuma County," Pickles said. "If I had to pinpoint one thing about Neal, it is his ability to think outside the box. He is very forward thinking in his problem-solving approach."

Julia King, Computerworld's executive editor of events and one of the judges selecting the Premier 100 IT leaders, said finalists can be nominated by a co-worker, a vendor or anyone in the industry.

But there are two significant factors in the selection of someone for the list: a successful project completed over the prior year, and how leadership of an organization technique was used to improve IT within the company.

"An IT leader is someone who has a vision of how to use technology to help the company reach its primary goal - reduce customer turnover, increase revenue or cut expenses," King said. "It's someone who can inspire others in the organization to think in an innovative way."