JEFFERSON CITY, MO - Today, the State of Missouri announced the winners of the fifth cycle of the Show Me Challenge. Last Friday, seven finalist teams competed in person before a panel of state government senior leaders to present the best ideas to improve state government.
Inspired by the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” the Show Me Challenge continues to bring together state team members from across Missouri’s 16 executive departments to pitch solutions that improve services to the citizens of Missouri, cut out unnecessary bureaucratic work, and/or save the State time and money.
The Show Me Challenge invited all State of Missouri team members in the executive branch to submit an initial pitch outlining their solutions. Seven teams were then invited to participate in the final competition. They had the opportunity to further develop their pitch, receive coaching, and then present their ideas in front of a panel of judges, including department directors and other senior leaders with government and business expertise.
In this cycle, the finalist teams had representatives from 7 of the 16 executive departments of the Missouri state government and competed in front of a live and virtual audience. This marked a change from the last cycle when it was 100% virtual.
First place went to the team Motor Vehicle & Driver's License (MVDL) Electronic Notifications from Department of Revenue and Office of Administration for their idea to provide an option for citizens to “subscribe” to receive correspondence and renewal notices electronically.
Winning team members of MVDL Electronic Notifications are:
- Dana O’Connell
- Dustin Fortson
- Karen Dudenhoeffer
- Lexi Holt
- Gina Wisch
- Tracye Harmon
Second Place went to OA Document Solutions from the Office of Administration for their proposal to reduce physical storage space, provide flexibility to the workforce for reviewing documents, and enhance readiness in case of emergencies.
Third place went to A New Dimension in Laboratory Supplies from the Department of Health & Senior Services for their proposal to avoid future testing interruptions due to plastic consumable supply shortages by recycling plastic waste generated by the laboratory into plastic filament that can be used by the department’s 3D printer.
The judges for the fifth cycle were Rob Dixon, Director, Department of Economic Development; Dr. Tracy Hinds, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Elementary & Secondary Education; Cindy Dixon, State Operational Excellence Director and Director of General Services, Office of Administration; Amanda Wilbers, Operational Excellence Leader, Department of Public Safety; Melody Reichel, Process Improvement Coordinator, Director of Revenue.
The judges considered a pitch’s quality, practicality, and potential for impact.
“The seven finalist teams who competed in the Show Me Challenge presented creative ideas to help better serve Missouri citizens, said Cindy Dixon, State Operational Excellence Director and Director of General Services, Office of Administration. “We are incredibly proud of these public servants who are using this opportunity to demonstrate a solution-driven approach for improving state government. ”
“We have some amazing and innovative team members within state government,” Director Rob Dixon, Department of Economic Development said. “The Show-Me Challenge is a tremendous opportunity for these individuals to shine and bring forward great ideas that will help us to better serve Missourians across our state. It’s an honor to celebrate these team members and work alongside them each and every day.”
“As a lifelong resident of our state, I think it’s important that fellow Missourians know about the innovative work like this that’s taking place in state government,” said Tracy Hinds, Deputy Commissioner of Learning Services at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “You could feel and see the passion and dedication these public servants have for improving the way we do business and serve our customers.”
To date, over 600 team members have pitched ideas to improve production and processes across state government. Cycle 6 of the Show Me Challenge competition will begin in spring 2022.
For more on the Show Me Challenge, go here.