2013 Service to America Medal Finalists

Marking the start of this year’s Public Service Recognition Week, the Partnership for Public Service honored the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists—outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans.

Call to Service Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee whose professional achievements reflect the important contributions that a new generation brings to public service.

	Andrew Rabens Special Advisor for Youth Engagement, Bureau of Near East Affairs Department of State Washington, D.C. Led an initiative to engage young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa to share ideas and learn about American democracy. See profile »
	David Vollman Staff Ophthalmologist Veterans Health Administration St. Louis, Missouri Gathered, organized and analyzed data on cataract surgery results to improve medical practices and outcomes for patients. See profile »
	Manan Vyas Research Engineer National Aeronautics and Space Administration Cleveland, Ohio Advanced the national goal of developing hypersonic aircraft engines, the last frontier of aeronautics, through innovative testing and scientific analysis. See profile »

Back to top

Career Achievement Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for significant accomplishments throughout a lifetime of achievement in public service.

	William J. Borucki Space Scientist National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center Moffett Field, California Led the design and operation of NASA’s Kepler space mission which discovered Earth-like planets as far as 1200 light years away, adding an impressive capstone on a 50-year career that began with the Apollo program. See profile »
	Orice Williams Brown Managing Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment Government Accountability Office Washington, D.C. Provided Congress with impartial analysis and oversight regarding the nation’s financial regulatory system, issuing warnings about potential risks and making recommendations to improve the implementation of new laws and economic recovery programs. See profile »
	Mark DeMaria Supervisory Meteorologist National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for Satellite Applications and Research Fort Collins, Colorado Pioneered models to better forecast the path and intensity of hurricanes during the past three decades to help communities and first responders prepare for the severe storms, saving countless lives, homes and businesses. See profile »
	Michael Gottesman Deputy Director for Intramural Research National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland Throughout a four-decade career, led seminal studies in the treatment of drug-resistant cancer cells and played an instrumental role in improving the rigor of medical research. See profile »
	Philip Rosenfelt Acting General Counsel Department of Education Washington, D.C. As a federal legal adviser and litigator for more than four decades, improved education and helped ensure equal access for all students. See profile »

Back to top

Citizen Services Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to citizen services (including economic development, education, health care, housing, labor and transportation).

	Dave Broomell Project Manager Social Security Administration, Chicago Region Stillwater, Minnesota Developed a number of technology innovations that have improved Social Security’s customer service and employee efficiency. See profile »
	Martha Dorris Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services General Services Administration Washington, D.C. Delivered timely information on federal programs and services and engaged citizens with our government through the use of web portals, social media, crowdsourcing tools and a powerful search engine. See profile »
	Daniel Madrzykowski Fire Protection Engineer National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland Dramatically improved firefighting practices by conducting and sharing sophisticated research that has saved firefighters’ lives and protected property across the nation. See profile »
	Terence V. Milholland Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer Internal Revenue Service Washington, D.C. Overhauled IRS’ information technology and tax processing systems, leading to quicker refunds and notices to taxpayers, reduced fraud and better internal management. See profile »
	J. Todd Weber and the CDC Multistate Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections Response Team Chief, Prevention and Response Branch, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia Quickly identified contaminated medicine as the cause of a major meningitis outbreak in 2012, and led the national public health response, alerting 14,000 potentially exposed patients and providing treatment information to the medical community. See profile »

Back to top

Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to homeland security and law enforcement (including border and transportation security, civil rights, counterterrorism, emergency response, fraud prevention, and intelligence).

	Charles Addington Associate Director of Field Operations Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Washington, D.C. Developed and implemented an innovative law enforcement program that reduced the high violent crime rate on four Indian reservations by 35 percent, providing a model for other Native American communities. See profile »
	Michelle Colby and the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Development Team Branch Chief of Agricultural Defense Department of Homeland Security Washington, D.C. Following the loss of millions of farm animals throughout England in 2001, developed a new, safer vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease to protect America’s livestock industry and prevent harm to our national economy. See profile »
	John MacKinnon and the Operation Holitna Team Group Supervisor Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations Boston, Massachusetts Rescued more than 160 victims of child pornography and developed new forensic investigatory techniques to track down the predators that abuse them, resulting in over 50 arrests since 2010. See profile »
	Seamus McElearney and the C-38 Team Supervisory Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation New York, New York Led lengthy undercover investigations that have severely disrupted two of New York’s notorious and violent organized crime families. See profile »
	Stephen Richardson and Team Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation Mobile, Alabama Led a team of FBI agents and Alabama police that saved the life of a five-year-old boy who was kidnapped and held hostage by an armed killer for six terrifying days in an underground bunker. See profile »

Back to top

Management Excellence Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for demonstrating superior leadership and management excellence through a significant contribution to the nation that exemplifies efficient, effective and results-oriented government.

	Margaret Focarino and Team Commissioner for Patents U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Alexandria, Virginia Led bold reforms that dramatically improved the speed and quality of patent examinations and approvals, helping incentivize new technologies and spur economic growth. See profile »
	Kevin T. Geiss Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Department of the Air Force Washington, D.C. Championed the safe use of alternative fuels to ensure energy independence for combat and support missions around the globe and reduced U.S. Air Force fuel and energy consumption, saving more than $1 billion in 2012 alone. See profile »
	Harry Haskins and Team Deputy Associate Administrator for Investment Small Business Administration Washington, D.C. Revitalized a faltering small business investment program, putting billions of dollars in the hands of entrepreneurs who created thousands of jobs since 2009. See profile »
	Claire Votaw Director, Project Services Office Department of State Arlington, Virginia Developed a shared information technology network for American embassies and federal agencies operating overseas, saving money and reducing duplication. See profile »

Back to top

National Security and International Affairs Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to national security and international affairs (including defense, military affairs, diplomacy, foreign assistance and trade).

	Cara Christie and the USAID Horn Drought Humanitarian Response Team Disaster Operations Specialist U.S. Agency for International Development Washington, D.C. Identified a looming humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa and coordinated a complex U.S. relief effort to help millions of people who faced starvation and death due to the worst drought in six decades. See profile »
	Hamid Jafari Medical Officer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia Directed the global initiative that eradicated polio in India and is leading the effort to eliminate this crippling and potentially fatal disease in the final three countries where it persists. See profile »
	Kenneth J. Linthicum Director, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology Agricultural Research Service Gainesville, Florida Developed techniques to predict outbreaks of insect-borne illnesses and protect livestock and humans, including military personnel, from debilitating and life-threatening disease. See profile »
	Erica Keen Thomas and the U.S. Mission to China Air Monitoring Team Environment, Science, Technology and Health Counselor Department of State Beijing, China Collected and publicly shared data that revealed dangerous air pollution levels in Chinese cities, increasing public awareness of the health risks and causing the Chinese government to confront the issue. See profile »

Back to top

Science and Environment Medal Finalists

This medal recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to science and environment (including biomedicine, economics, energy, information technology, meteorology, resource conservation and space).

	Paul D. Jablonski Metallurgist Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Albany, Oregon Revolutionized coronary stent technology by developing a new platinum-chromium alloy that makes the device thinner, more flexible and visible by x-ray. See profile »
	David Lavery and the Mars Exploration Team Program Executive for Solar System Exploration National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, D.C. Led the Curiosity rover mission to Mars that is exploring the Red Planet’s geology and climate, and assessing whether conditions are favorable for microbial life and future human exploration. See profile »
	Julie Segre, Tara Palmore and Team Senior Investigator (Segre) and Deputy Hospital Epidemiologist (Palmore) National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland Stopped the spread of a deadly hospital-acquired infection through the first-ever use of genome sequencing to identify the source and trace the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, creating a groundbreaking model for the health care industry. See profile »
	Josh Silverman Director, Office of Sustainability Support Department of Energy Washington, D.C. Discovered and led efforts to halt the release of more than one million tons of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas from Energy Department facilities, the equivalent of taking over 200,000 cars off the nation’s roads every year. See profile »
	Nora D. Volkow Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland Demonstrated that drug addiction is a disease that changes brain function and created new strategies for treating patients with substance abuse issues. See profile »

Back to top

 

© 2002-2013 Partnership for Public Service