The State of Massachusetts suffered a security breach that exposed 139,000 records.   The article found here was painful to read.    Not so much due to the number of records exposed, although that is not to be taken lightly, but because it could have been any one of us in government.

A new employee without proper training responded to a request for public records. Trying to be diligent, that employee made sure that all of the data related to those records was included.   All of it, including individuals' names, Social Security Numbers, birth dates and locations, in addition to height, weight and hair and eye color.   I know--that was my first response too.  I was applauded by such a violation of the public's trust.  Then, after this sank-in a little, my response changed to “. . . but for the grace of god . . .”

State budgets are stretched to the limit; there is a higher demand for services and fewer staff to provide those services.  Too often, the first thing we overlook is the new employee and the first thing we cut is the training.

This incident demonstrates what we already know - that when foundational practices are allowed to degrade, the entire structure is weakened.  Let this be a reminder to those of us who choose to lead that the little things do matter.  "I"s need to be dotted, “T”s need to be crossed regardless of the apparent urgency of our daily grind.   The people we serve are deserved that much.   Just as importantly, those on the frontlines--the public servants who we have the privilege to lead, deserve to be equipped with all of the tools and training necessary to be successful.  

No one can deny a breach of trust did indeed occur. The article states:

“..A new employee was culpable for the breach by failing to delete the investment advisers' Social Security numbers and other private information, which is normally withheld for such requests...”

I say, not so fast.  There are others who bear responsibility here.

It has been an amazing couple of weeks for me.  Here are a few highlights:

Free Digital Textbooks Initiative

I began work on a project close to my heart, a web site with tools and resources for parent and educators to support Californian's Free Digital Textbook Initiative. The first argument I usually hear about the digital textbooks is the “Digital Divide" argument. Some fear we are creating a broader spectrum of “haves” and “have nots” because the neediest communities do not have the resources to put a laptop or even a tablet in the hands of every student. Not to worry - one of the very significantstrengths of this particular program is the understanding that while it would be great for every student to have such devices but the fact is they don't and they may not any time soon. The entire initiative was built around the premise that bridge to a digital education is built by finding ways to utilize what already exists, create efficiencies by doing so, and then crossing over, when feasible, into a fully digital classroom, bringing every student along for the ride.

Health Care Reform

I began work on a new California health care portal. While I can't say much about it because it is in the early stages of development, I can say that this will significantly increase the “usability”of insurance, insurance options, transparency of the health care support system in CA and provide some great information and assistance for all Californians as we navigate the new Health Care Reform Act which take effect September 1. The goal of the site is information and resources so that all Californians have can get maximum the benefit available under the law. This is about all I can say on this one. You will have to stay tuned for the press releases in the coming months.

More cool happenings re: www.ca.gov

We released several more mobile apps. If you hit www.ca.gov now on your mobile device you will be re-directed to a mobile portal. Yes a portal, not just an app download site. Take a look. We now have more than 20 departments participating and about 40 apps. More to come. We even got a nice article in GovTech.

The new www.ca.gov continues to get rave reviews. We have been working in the background on code cleanup and will begin templating the new site very coon for other state agencies to use. Site usage has risen 12% in a single month from 7.3 mil uniques to 8.2 (compete.com) and CA.gov won an award this week as one of the Top Government Websites - all pretty fun in a geeky kind of way.

FooCamp

I have to say the highlight of the past two weeks has been FooCamp. For those of you who are not familiar with FooCamp, it is a weekend of good food, laughter, intellectual exchange and camping (yes in actual tents) hosted by Tim O'Reilly. The attendees were about 250 of the smartest people I have ever met in my life. The unconference setting was perfect for meeting new folks, making new friends and when I could find time, looping around to the few folks I already knew. I met several individuals for which the label of “Luminary” falls significantly short. The outcome of the weekend, aside from being completely humbled by the company, was ideas for about 5 new projects in collaboration with 20 new friends (and yes – you will hear about all of it as it develops).

Thanks Tim. FooCamp was a game changer for me. I may even catch up on my sleep this by weekend.

Broadening Horizons

The absolute most rewarding part of the past two weeks was the invitation to join the advisory board of Code for America. If you don't know anything about Code for America, you should. Jen Pahlka is doing such great work. Here is the link: http://codeforamerica.org/

Thanks for listening. More when I get a chance. Comments, ideas and any resources you have related to the above are cheerfully accepted. You can also follow me or ping me on twitter @carolynlawson or http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynlawson

One of the most valuable lessons my father taught me is what it means "to be a man”. Now before you start jumping up and down, he did not mean a male of the species. The phrase “to be a man” meant something deeply different in my father's generation than it does in our current one. What he meant was to be an individual of strength, resilience and integrity – traits which to him defined the respectful honor of being called a “man”. He spoke to me, his little girl, about what it really meant to be a “man”.  He emphasized why striving for that lofty goal would serve me well for the rest of my life.

Being of few words himself, he often borrowed the words of the great poets as a teaching tool. Growing up when I faced situations which seemed daunting, when I wanted to cut and run, he would quote a line from Robert Frost “The night is cold and dark and deep”. He would look at me and expect me to recite the next “But I have promises to keep”. In my head I would finish the refrain “Miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep.” (Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening,)

When I began my career, he gave me a lasting gift – he introduced me to “If ” by Rudyard Kipling. If you have a few moments, read the entire text.  Until then, here is a short snippet.  It ends by saying:

I carry that with me, read it over and over again. Turn to it when I am walking through difficult times.  This simple gift of a poem is a constant reminder of a father's love and his high expectations for his little girl. Thanks Dad.

edited 6/20/2010