SEARCH Welcomes Newly Appointed New York Member

Anne M. Roest

SEARCH is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Anne M. Roest as New York State's representative to the Membership Group. Ms. Roest was appointed by New York Governor David Paterson on January 21, 2010, and fills a seat vacated by former longtime Member Daniel Foro.

Ms. Roest is the Deputy Commissioner/CIO of the Office of Justice Information Services within the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), a position she has held since 2005. She is responsible for the support and development of criminal justice systems. She is also the co-chair of the Integrated Justice Advisory Board.

In 2008, Ms. Roest received the Alfred E. Smith Award from the Empire State Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. She was cited for her leadership in establishing a disaster recovery program to ensure that, in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack, New York will retain the ability to process fingerprints.

Prior to her work at the DCJS, Ms. Roest was a project director for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, where she directed the planning, budgeting, staffing, systems development, and business process analysis of a systems modernization project.

"I'm very pleased to have Anne come on board as the official New York Member," said SEARCH Executive Director Ronald P. Hawley. "She represented New York as an Alternate Member at our past Membership Group meeting and she was eager to participate in our discussions. We look forward to her valuable expertise and participation."

The SEARCH Membership Group, which governs SEARCH, is comprised of one gubernatorial appointee from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as eight at-large appointees selected by SEARCH's Chair. This national body of state-level professionals is widely representative of the various disciplines within the justice system, and many are responsible for operational decisions and policymaking concerning the management of criminal justice information, particularly criminal history information. The Membership Group fosters cooperation and communication among justice system professionals in identifying and implementing solutions to common problems.