The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), led by Chief Data Officer Miriam Patrocinio, is being honored in Category 2: Delivering Excellence in Digital Services for transforming outdated, paper-based processes into a modern digital system that improves environmental management and public access.

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Through the launch of a content management platform, NCDEQ has streamlined permit processing, enabled online public access to environmental records, improved fee collection, and strengthened compliance oversight. For example, water quality certifications that once took two weeks can now be approved in just 12 hours, and nearly $300,000 in fees were collected within three months of going live.

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The system has also enhanced data-driven decision-making, helping the state manage over $5 billion in federal grant requests for clean water and disaster preparedness. Miriam’s leadership brought together technical experts and environmental professionals to build a solution focused on efficiency, transparency, and citizen engagement - empowering North Carolinians to play a greater role in protecting their environment.