City Integrity Officers Take Oath of Office and Jim White Named Recipient of the Inspector General’s Joan Markman Award for Integrity
PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Jim F. Kenney and Inspector General Amy L. Kurland presided over a ceremony in City Hall this afternoon, where 36 Integrity Officers swore an oath of office to report fraud and misconduct by City employees and to assist the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) with investigations. Judge Stella Tsai of the Court of Common Pleas administered the oath.
“The City’s Integrity Officers serve as one of our most important resources in the fight against fraud, corruption, abuse, and misconduct,” said Mayor Kenney. “These employees selflessly accept extra responsibility and take on duties that fall outside the scope of their job titles to support the OIG’s mission of upholding the public’s trust.”
Each City department has a trained Integrity Officer who serves as a critical point person, providing on-the-ground research and knowledge to OIG investigators. All Integrity Officers are appointed by the Inspector General based on their track record of ethical service.
Inspector General Kurland also announced Jim White, Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief Operating Officer at the Office of Innovation and Technology, as the recipient of the Inspector General’s 2017 Joan Markman Award for Integrity. This Award recognizes a City employee who demonstrates a strong commitment to integrity, diligence and transparency on behalf of the City of Philadelphia and works with the OIG. The award, previously named the Inspector General Integrity Award, honors the memory of Joan Markman, the City’s first Chief Integrity Officer who passed away January 15, 2015.
“Jim White is an exemplary public servant and dedicated partner to the OIG. He has demonstrated time and time again that we can depend on him to display exceptional judgment on integrity issues,” said Inspector General Amy L. Kurland. “I am honored to recognize Jim’s outstanding service with this award.”
White received a $1,000 award prize, two free tickets to a Phillies game, a certificate in recognition of his achievement and a photograph memorializing the recognition.
Jim White has worked for the City of Philadelphia for 22 years, serving as Deputy CIO and COO for the last five years. As his department’s integrity officer, White has collaborated with the OIG on several widespread investigations. Recently, Jim worked with the OIG to investigate a City unit where employees were routinely stealing time. In addition to several suspensions and a termination, the investigation resulted in in significant changes to the unit’s oversight methods.
Jim White holds a MS in Information Science from Pennsylvania State University, a BS in Computer Science from Spring Garden College, and a BA in Communications from the University of Connecticut.
Before joining OIT, Jim served as IT Director, among other roles, at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Jim has worked for the City since 1995, and previously worked as a CAD Engineer and Network Administrator in the private sector.
About the Inspector General
The mission of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is to enhance the public confidence in the integrity of the City government by rooting out corruption, fraud, misconduct, waste and mismanagement. For more information, log on to: http://www.phila.gov/ig.