Taking the Reins: Rick Webb

Managing director with the state and local government practice with a national focus on e-government, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Raleigh, N.C., office. 45 Wife, Luanne Webb; sons Richard, 18, and Jackson, 13 Waynesville, N.C. Cary, N.C. "Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man Who Won the War," by Bob GreeneFrederick Church, Childe Hassam, Thomas Eakins Barbra Streisand "While I don't watch a great deal of television, I watch news programs and sports, especially ACC basketball." The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C. "The Great Summit: The Complete Sessions," by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Second Empire, Raleigh, N.C. Pan-roasted mahi mahi "I enjoy playing golf and traveling.""Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."? Jimi Hendrix"Always be in a position to anticipate and manage change."Being a practitioner of state government, I've seen it from the inside looking out. What I've learned is citizens are beginning to demand the same types of services from the public sector that they get from the private sector. One of the things I bring is an enterprise view of how we provide that information. Citizens don't see it as state or local or federal government, they just see it as the government. They want information quickly; they want to be one or two clicks away from it. We've built this across agency boundaries in ways that citizens will find customer centric.The environment is changing tremendously. Thoughtful planning in North Carolina helped refine its approach from the technical architecture to a shared infrastructure. The concept of one way, one time is very real. I hope I can take my experience from North Carolina and share it over time with other states.I think one is to build useful products and services that are truly meaningful to the states. I think another is focusing energy in areas where we can be effective. You can't be all things to all people.As we move forward, No. 1 is finding the right kind of approach where we can add value. ... I think we're beginning to see more and more leverage in partnerships with the private sector for state governments to meet demands. Hopefully, we can add value.The new value proposition is one of speed, a consistent look and feel and customer centric. This is the first movement I've seen where governments are coming outside in, not inside out. Sharing our experience base with the resources available from the public and private sectors will be important.