Orange County Won Two Best of New York Awards

ALBANY – Orange County employees from the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department were recently presented with two 2026 Best of New York Awards during the New York Digital Government Summit in Albany, hosted by Government Technology.

The New York Digital Government Summit brings together technology-focused public-sector professionals and industry partners to exchange innovative ideas, share best practices, and explore emerging technologies that improve government operations and services to residents.
Orange County’s 2026 Best of New York Award recipients are:

• Innovative Use of Data Analytics Award: Elise Cuevas, ITS Systems Analyst, for the 911 Emergency Incident Dashboard

• Excellence in Project Management Award: John Meola, ITS Senior Network Support Specialist, for the Enterprise Network Security Modernization Project

“I am extremely proud of Elise, John, and our entire ITS team for earning this statewide recognition,” said Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus. “Technology plays an increasingly important role in how we protect our residents and deliver County services. These awards demonstrate Orange County’s continued commitment to innovation, cybersecurity, and using technology to better serve our residents.”

Cuevas received the Innovative Use of Data Analytics Award for developing the 911 Emergency Incident Dashboard, an interactive Microsoft Power Business Intelligence solution that transformed fragmented and manual reporting into centralized, real-time analytics. The dashboard provides interactive visualizations, geographic heat maps, drill-down capabilities, and trend analysis of call volumes, incident types, response times, geographic hotspots, and service levels. The solution supports daily public-safety operations, resource deployment, and faster, evidence-based decision-making by County leadership and public-safety agencies.

Meola received the Excellence in Project Management Award for leading Orange County’s Enterprise Network Security Modernization Project. Serving as project manager and technical lead, Meola coordinated the modernization of critical County network-security infrastructure supporting more than 36 County departments and the County’s Niche Records Management System used by municipal law-enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office, and Sheriff’s Office. The project replaced aging network-security infrastructure, strengthened cybersecurity through Fortinet firewalls and Zero Trust technologies, and was delivered on time, within budget, and within scope while maintaining critical County operations.

Glenn Marchi, Ph.D., Commissioner and Chief Information Officer said, “These prestigious awards reflect the talent, dedication, and innovation of our ITS professionals. Elise and John are great examples of how our team uses technology to improve County operations and better serve our residents.”