American ingenuity, encouraged by our free enterprise economy, has led the world in creating better products and services at a lower cost. State governments, too, can harness the innovation and technology of the private sector's "best practices" to serve their citizens with the highest cost-efficiency and customer- effectiveness. That's what we're doing for Georgians through the Commission for a New Georgia.
In 2003, I asked 21 highly respected senior business leaders to volunteer as members of the Commission for a New Georgia, with the challenge to envision what Georgia can be at its best. Our government needed new thinking from a fresh perspective to see better ways to manage our assets and services and map our future.
Since that time, the Commission has formed 24 focused, fast-acting Task Forces to tackle tough issues. More than 400 accomplished Georgians have served on the task forces. Their reports are rich in information, with recommendations based on proven practices.
To take the Commission's recommendations to the workings of government, I established the Office of Implementation in August 2004. Since then, more than 60 agencies and well over 100 administrators have been involved in implementation projects. Cross-agency teams are organized around initiatives, breaking out of "silos" to work on improving processes and practices that benefit the whole enterprise of state government.
We are seeing results: a redefined government that functions more effectively and more efficiently, empowering all Georgians, from private citizens to government employees, to participate in creating a New Georgia -- better managed, more educated, more prosperous, healthier, and safer.
Governor Sonny Perdue
