ISAC Awarded 2018 Most Effective IT Team Award from CompTIA AITP Chicago Chapter

CHICAGO - The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) has been named the 2018 "Most Effective IT Team" by CompTIA AITP Chicago. The award recognizes high performing Chicagoland IT teams that have demonstrated an outstanding job in improving the success of their organization's business.  The annual award was presented to the team at an Awards Dinner on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at the Metropolitan Club of Chicago.

ISAC received the Most Effective IT Team award in 2015 as well, becoming the first state agency to take the honor.

"It is a testament to their leadership, innovation and commitment to service that ISAC has received this award for a second time in the last three years—competing with some of the most productive, well-resourced and effective private and non-profit IT teams in the Chicagoland area," said Laszlo S. Gonc, executive vice president of CompTIA AITP Chicago.

Each year, CompTIA AITP Chicago asks technology peers to nominate IT teams for the award, and three teams are selected for first, second and third place. Nominated teams are judged and awarded points in the following categories: innovation and team collaboration, organizational change management, business value creation and community service. The judging is conducted by a panel of CIO's, Directors and Senior IT Executives. This year, with ISAC taking first place, Nuveen Investments and Zurich Insurance received the second and third place awards.

"We couldn't be more proud of our CIO, Ramnath Cidambi, and the entire team," said Eric Zarnikow, executive director of ISAC. "Whether they are providing innovative technology that helps us better administer our programs or assisting other state agencies with their technology needs, we are pleased to be recognized as a leader in the field."
 
ISAC has helped support the state's technology oversight agency, the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), with its Mobile FIRST initiative to web enable 80% of citizen interactions over the next 18 months. Having developed several mobile applications for itself and other state agencies, ISAC is currently developing a mobile application for college and career search in partnership with the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, and Illinois State University.

"We are pleased to see the ISAC IT team receiving well-deserved recognition," said Kirk Lonbom, acting secretary for DoIT. "ISAC's team has been instrumental in helping to advance our Mobile FIRST strategy, and the team's effectiveness in collaborating with other state agencies, its deep experience and expertise, and its ability to innovate has already helped several agencies improve their effectiveness and service to Illinois citizens."

About ISAC
The mission of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is to help make college accessible and affordable for students throughout Illinois. ISAC provides comprehensive, objective, and timely information on education and financial aid for students and their families—giving them access to the tools they need to make the educational choices that are right for them. Then, through the state scholarship and grant programs ISAC administers, ISAC can help students make those choices a reality. www.isac.org