Connor Richards, Every day Herald file picture
Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner speaks on the Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo after taking the oath of workplace on Thursday, April 29, 2021.
This week, Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner turned one of many first appointees to Utah’s Blockchain and Digital Innovation Activity Drive by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Powers Gardner obtained a textual content message from the governor’s workplace Monday informing her she had been appointed to the duty pressure. She additionally obtained an emailed letter of her appointment signed by Cox on June 2.
“The aim was to have all of the members chosen within the month of June, so since my letter was dated on the second. I used to be one of many first, if not the primary,” she mentioned.
As much as 15 members can be chosen, having a mixture of authorities and trade representatives.
“They need to lean closely in the direction of trade specialists, and its function is to finish up serving to authorities and perceive and consider various things as know-how will get launched,” Powers Gardner mentioned. “The duty pressure continues to be forming. We don’t even have all of the members but. I’m one of many first members. I known as the governor’s workplace, and I did ask who the opposite members had been, they usually mentioned we don’t know everybody but.”
Home Invoice 335, approving the duty pressure, was signed by Cox in March.
An instance of what the duty pressure is supposed to do is contemplating laws coping with innovation and giving evaluations or suggestions on it.
One of many causes Powers Gardner mentioned she was positioned on the duty pressure was as a result of she has expertise implementing blockchains into Utah County.
In early 2020, whereas serving because the Utah County clerk/auditor, she helped the county launch a blockchain marriage license resolution.
By doing so, every day operations remained unchanged in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of lots of the programs had been automated.
“I’ve a real-life utility, and I perceive how that may be carried out in authorities. If different authorities businesses have an concept and are saying, ‘Hey, we wish to use this digital innovation or use blockchain for this function,’ the duty pressure may help consider if that may be a viable use of know-how or probably see if there’s any points with it that should be thought of.
“The rationale why the state wished to have this activity pressure is as a result of so many individuals usually, additionally in authorities, don’t I perceive new know-how that’s rising. This actually provides a gaggle of specialists from trade and authorities the power to flush concepts by means of.”
So far as Powers Gardner is aware of, she would be the solely native authorities consultant on the duty pressure and probably the one feminine member. She mentioned she was conscious of the listing of people the governor’s workplace was contemplating to be on the duty pressure.
“Once they had been floating round names of potential folks on the duty pressure, there have been solely two names that had been feminine,” she mentioned. “So, there’s an opportunity that I could be the solely lady or one in all two ladies on the 15-person activity pressure.”
Powers Gardner was additionally the primary lady to be elected as a Utah County commissioner, so being the one lady within the room isn’t an uncommon feeling for her.
“Ladies’s voices are so necessary to have on the desk,” she added. “Ladies have a tendency to guage issues slightly bit in another way and that’s a great factor, particularly when coping with a big group. Having variety of thought provides everybody a greater consequence on the finish. So, if I’ve the chance to make sure that ladies’s voices are being heard and we’ve got a seat on the desk, I’m very happy to fill that function.”
The commissioner believes her new function can be utilized to higher serve the county by being one of many first to find out about new, progressive concepts.
“As new concepts come ahead, most individuals gained’t hear about an concept until it will get carried out,” she mentioned. “There are going to be occasions perhaps one thing doesn’t get carried out for no matter it was alleged to, however I’ll have the power to have a look at all the brand new concepts and see if the residents of Utah County will be capable of profit from such know-how.”
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