Citizen Services Medal Recipients

This medal recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to social services (including economic development and assistance, education, health care, housing, labor, and transportation) and is accompanied by a $3,000 award.

Susan Angell, Mark Johnston and the Homeless Veterans Initiative Team—2012 Recipients

Positions: Executive Director, Veterans Homeless Initiative (Angell); Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, Office of Community Planning and Development (Johnston)

Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs (Angell); Department of Housing and Urban Development (Johnston)

Location: Washington, D.C.

Achievement:Led an interdepartmental program that reduced veterans homelessness by 12 percent in one year as part of an ambitious national goal of finding shelter for all veterans by 2015.

View Complete Story»

Diane K. Braunstein—2011 Recipient

Position: Associate Commissioner, Office of International Programs

Agency: Social Security Administration

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Achievement: Created a fast-track system for terminally and seriously ill Americans to receive approval for Social Security disability benefits in days or weeks instead of months or years.

View Complete Story»

Shane Kelley and Eva Ristow—2010 Recipients

Position: Director, Center for Automation (Kelley) and Project Manager (Ristow)

Agency: Social Security Administration, Denver Region

Location: Denver, Colorado

Achievement: Improved the delivery of Social Security benefits to citizens living in impoverished and remote locations through an innovative two-way video service.

View Complete Story »

Michael German—2009 Recipient

Position: National Team Leader

Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Achievement: Created partnerships to reduce homelessness with more than 850 state and local leaders, which have contributed to a 30 percent reduction in long-term homelessness.

View Complete Story »

Dr. Rajiv Jain—2008 Recipient

Position: Chief of Staff and MRSA Program Director

Agency: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Achievement: Developed and led an initiative that reduced a type of life-threatening, hospital-acquired infections by 60 percent and has been replicated at all 153 VA hospitals and other hospitals across America and parts of the world.

View Complete Story »

Dinah F. B. Cohen—2007 Recipient

Position: Director, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)

Agency: U.S. Department of Defense, TRICARE Management Activity

Location: Falls Church, Virginia

Achievement: Leads the world’s largest assistive technology program, filling more than 60,000 accommodation requests for people with disabilities, including 2,400 accommodations for wounded service members.

View Complete Story »

USGS Hurricane Response Team
led by Dr. Thomas Casadevall—2006 Recipient

Position: Director, Central Region

Agency: U.S. Geological Survey

Location: Lakewood, Colorado

Achievement: Used technology to help locate and rescue thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims and personally conducted rescue missions that saved 600 people.

View Complete Story »

Terence Lutes—2005 Recipient

Position: Associate CIO, Information Technology Services

Agency: Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury

Location: Washington, D.C.

Achievement: Led the development of the popular eFile system that has allowed millions of Americans to get their tax refunds in as few as 10 days, while also cutting processing costs for government by as much as 90 percent.

View Complete Story »

FTC Do Not Call Team
led by Eileen Harrington—2004 Recipient

Position: Associate Director for Marketing Practices

Agency: Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection

Location: Washington, D.C.

Achievement: Developed and implemented the federal Do Not Call Registry, which has reduced the number of telemarketing calls for more than 60 million Americans.

View Complete Story »

Denise Johnson—2003 Recipient

Position: Deputy Chief, Polio Eradication Branch

Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Achievement: Denise Johnson is charged at the CDC with worldwide eradication of polio by 2008. Keeping her eye on potential hotspots around the world, she manages $300 million in grants and the purchase of 600 million doses of polio vaccine.

View Complete Story »

Daniel Weinberg—2002 Recipient

Position: Division Chief

Agency: Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau

Location: Suitland, Maryland

Achievement: Led the development of an improved measure of poverty which more accurately reflects the needs of the poor; this will help leaders effectively target resources toward improving economic well-being.

View Complete Story »

The Service to America Medals are presented annually by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence in our federal civil service.

View All Supporting Sponsors

SAMMIES RECIPIENTS BY YEAR

SAMMIES RECIPIENTS BY MEDAL