Former Utah Budget Director John Nixon has been named one of Governing Magazine's Public Officials of the Year.

Nixon, who now is the Director of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget for Michigan, earned the honor for helping to rebalance the state's budget and craft a tax reform package.

From Public CIO:

In Michigan, Nixon heads an agency that oversees financial and technology functions across the state — a role that's let him make a significant impact on how the state views technology spending. For instance, Nixon closed a $1.5 billion budget deficit during his first year on the job in 2011, but he still found funds to promote small, high-impact technology projects.

In 2012, Nixon locked an extra $47 million into the annual state budget for technology projects. That funding will continue for five years, pumping close to a quarter billion dollars into new IT infrastructure for the state. In addition to new IT spending, Nixon has forged a particularly effective partnership with state CIO David Behen, and he enjoys strong support from Snyder, a former Gateway executive who branded himself "one tough nerd" during the gubernatorial election.

Earlier this month, Michigan earned one of only two "A" grades awarded in the Center for Digital Government's Digital States Survey. And the state's combination of smart management and tech savvy will continue to make Michigan a force to be reckoned with over the next several years.