About Mrs. Maria Isabel Mejia

Maria Isabel was chosen to lead the Government Online Program due to her background in integrating technologies to transform priority matters for the country. She was the founder and manager of Computers for Education, a successful program that, during her administration, benefited more than two million poor children and that has been replicated in Latin American countries like Guatemala and El Salvador. She also led the country to the change of the millennium (Y2K) and has managed high-scale projects from public and private sector.

In October 2006, this Systems Engineer and specialist in Information Technology Management was designated by the Minister for Information and Communication Technology as the General Manager for Government Online, an agency that has been transformed due to her efforts to make increasingly easier the relations between citizens and Government. She has consolidated the Government Online Strategy and has coordinated the actions that public institutions execute throughout the country for the implementation of this public policy.

Under her stewardship, the population has had access to public information on Government Websites, which includes not only 100% of the municipalities -a fact that distinguishes Colombia as Latin American leader in Internet presence-, but also the possibility to know requirements, steps and places to make public proceedings and access to online services, through www.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co.

Since she assumed the leadership, Colombia has gained 58 positions from 2005 to 2008 in the ranking of e-Government that is published by Brown University. Also, she placed the country as No. 1 e-Government and e-Participation in Latin America and the Caribbean, and World's No. 9 in online government services, according to the recently "Global e-Government Report 2010" of the United Nations. She has been also distinguished in the country as one of the best managers in social responsibility, in technology and top executive by different media.