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SALT LAKE CITY — State budget director Kristen Cox was honored this week as the 2016 Public Official of the Year in Washington, D.C.
Governing magazine each year identifies top public servants across the nation from hundreds of nominations submitted from state and local officials.
After consulting with experts and scholars, a selection committee and what Governing describes as "painstaking research," the list is narrowed to eight people who are raising the bar in public service.
Cox, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, was named as one the nation's exemplary public servants through that process.
"Utah is extremely fortunate to have Kristen Cox working for all of us,” Gov. Gary Herbert said in a statement. "And I do mean all of us, because every decision she makes is focused on delivering the best possible result for the taxpayer, both fiscally and in terms of providing the highest quality service."
Herbert appointed Cox as the state's primary budget adviser in 2012. Cox oversees creation of the governor’s nearly $15 billion annual budget. She is the author of the SUCCESS Framework, a process improvement effort that has increased efficiency and effectiveness in state government.
