The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) is riding high off a recent slew of awards from the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA), gaining recognition for its innovative approaches to state government efficiency and leadership. At the NASCA annual Leadership Summit on October 23, CMS was lauded for revamping the state's hiring system and for the leadership skills of its key administrators, like CoreyAnne Gulkewicz and Aundra Williams, according to a press release from the State of Illinois.
Among the awards hauled in, the Innovation in State Government Award – Transformation Category shone a spotlight on Illinois' employment system overhaul, a project that successfully pared down hiring times by 58%, halved vacancy rates, and doubled the number of job applications received. This significant achievement elevated Illinois as a pacesetter in equitable, modern workforce development. Additionally, CMS's Chief Strategy Officer CoreyAnne Gulkewicz, celebrated for her strategic foresight in modernizing personnel systems, graced the winner's circle with the Government Operations Champion Award, while Aundra Williams, CMS Assistant Director, clinched the Distinguished Deputy Award for his extensive efforts in improving statewide operations.
"These awards are a powerful endorsement of what we’ve long believed: that good government can also be great government," said Governor JB Pritzker, expressing pride in the modernization milestones achieved by CMS. Raven A. DeVaughn, the CMS Director, lauded his team's remarkable work, emphasizing CMS's commitment to setting a national benchmark for state government excellence, the press release elaborated.
In recent years, NASCA has repeatedly recognized the Illinois CMS's dedication to government service enhancement. Prior laurels include a string of awards from as early as 2020, among them, the National Ray Walton Leadership Award going twice to CMS directors, once to Janel L. Forde in 2020 and then to Raven A. DeVaughn in 2024, establishing CMS's continuous pursuit of optimizing state services and leadership while growing Illinois' reputation as a beacon of progressive government operations.
