2026 Honoree Gharun Lacy Gharun Lacy Led a team that discovered and quickly halted a sophisticated cyber intrusion into the State Department’s email accounts by a group with ties to China.
2026 Honoree Jill A. Frisch Jill A. Frisch Litigated landmark cases against multinational corporations that used complex schemes to artificially lower their federal tax liability, leading to the recovery of billions of dollars for the government’s coffers.
2026 Honoree Paul VanRaden, Ph.D., Ransom L. Baldwin VI, Ph.D., Curtis P. Van Tassell, Ph.D. and the ARS Dairy Cattle Genetic Enhancement Team Paul VanRaden, Ph.D., Ransom L. Baldwin VI, Ph.D., Curtis P. Van Tassell, Ph.D. and the ARS Dairy Cattle Genetic Enhancement Team Played a leading role in revolutionizing dairy cattle breeding through DNA research and genetic testing that has greatly improved milk production and animal health while benefiting the industry and the public.
2026 Honoree James Szykman James Szykman Leveraged EPA expertise to lead a cross-agency collaboration that successfully validated NASA’s TEMPO satellite, paving the way to ground-breaking methods of monitoring, tracking and addressing air pollution.
2025 Honoree Dave Lebryk Federal Employee of the Year Dave Lebryk Seamlessly managed the government’s checkbook, overseeing payments of more than $6 trillion a year and spearheading important reforms while protecting the integrity of the federal financial system.
2025 Honoree Yakov Pachepsky, Ph.D., Moon S. Kim, Ph.D. and the Sensing and AI Modeling for Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Team Yakov Pachepsky, Ph.D., Moon S. Kim, Ph.D. and the Sensing and AI Modeling for Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Team Created cutting-edge technology to detect contaminants on farms and at food processing facilities to prevent foodborne illnesses that sicken millions of people in the U.S. every year.
2025 Honoree Thuc Hoang and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Team Thuc Hoang and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Team Played a critical role in the development of El Capitan, the world’s most powerful supercomputer that will conduct nuclear simulations with unprecedented speed and precision, transforming the stewardship of our nuclear stockpile.
2025 Honoree Susan S. Xu, Ph.D. Susan S. Xu, Ph.D. Conducted pioneering research to develop better personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks, respirators and self-contained breathing apparatuses, for millions of firefighters and health care workers.
2025 Honoree Shane P. Harrigan Shane P. Harrigan Litigated and oversaw the prosecution of high-profile criminal cases involving associates of 9/11 hijackers, human, firearms and drug traffickers, Iranian sanctions, foreign terrorist organizations and hate crimes during a four-decade federal career.
2025 Honoree Kristofer Pasquale, J.D., CFE, Heather McCormick, Alex Meusburger and the SBAOIG Pocket Teams Kristofer Pasquale, J.D., CFE, Heather McCormick, Alex Meusburger and the SBAOIG Pocket Teams Spearheaded a nationwide campaign that has returned more than $1.2 billion in stolen COVID-19 relief funds to American taxpayers, with additional recoveries on the way.
2025 Honoree Ruishu F. Wright, Ph.D. Ruishu F. Wright, Ph.D. Developed novel technologies for sensing the degradation of pipelines, electrical grids, bridges and other critical infrastructure to provide early warnings of problems and to prevent catastrophic failures that cost billions of dollars and peoples’ lives.
2025 Honoree Richard Burns Richard Burns Led the team behind a spacecraft that brought back the largest asteroid sample to Earth, revealing the presence of organic material that may offer clues about the origins of life on our planet.
2025 Honoree Renata Miskell, Linda Chero and the Payment Integrity Team Renata Miskell, Linda Chero and the Payment Integrity Team Developed and implemented a series of government initiatives that prevented and recovered a record-breaking $7 billion in fraud and improper federal payments in 2024.
2025 Honoree Pavan Pidugu Pavan Pidugu Revolutionized technology used to oversee the commercial motor carrier industry, improving highway safety and saving lives as well as millions in taxpayer dollars.
2025 Honoree Luis Coronado Jr., Matt Pierce and the Online Passport Renewal Team Luis Coronado Jr., Matt Pierce and the Online Passport Renewal Team Implemented the first-ever online passport renewal system, eliminating an outdated, paper-heavy process and dramatically reduced wait times for millions of Americans.
2025 Honoree Michaelangelo León Michaelangelo León Built a next-generation satellite that will enable the U.S. armed forces to better predict meteorological changes that affect military missions around the world.
2025 Honoree Christina Ritter, Lara Strawbridge, Daniel Heider and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Team Christina Ritter, Lara Strawbridge, Daniel Heider and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Team Led groundbreaking negotiations that lowered the price of 10 prescription drugs covered by Medicare Part D, saving both seniors and the federal government billions of dollars.
2025 Honoree Maya Bretzius Maya Bretzius Transformed IRS call center operations, reducing wait times for millions of taxpayers seeking assistance.
2025 Honoree Mary Anne Alvin Mary Anne Alvin Spearheaded innovative initiatives to extract scarce rare earth minerals from coal waste that are critical components for everything from military aircraft and electric vehicles to smartphones and medical devices.
2025 Honoree Johnie N. Jenkins, Ph.D. Johnie N. Jenkins, Ph.D. Engaged in pivotal research to eradicate the voracious boll weevil from cotton plants, resulting in higher cotton yields and less need for harmful insecticides.
2025 Honoree Lydia Carpenter, D.V.M. Lydia Carpenter, D.V.M. Established a breakthrough federal program to help prevent, detect and respond to African Swine Fever, a disease that could ravage the pork industry with the loss of billions of dollars in revenue and tens of thousands of jobs.
2025 Honoree Chad Kahler, Michael Staudenmaier Jr., Mark Loeffelbein and the National Weather Service HeatRisk Development Team Chad Kahler, Michael Staudenmaier Jr., Mark Loeffelbein and the National Weather Service HeatRisk Development Team Devised the first high-resolution alert system that provides seven-day forecasts of the possible heat risks in specific locations, enabling emergency managers and public health officials to proactively protect the public.
2025 Honoree John A. Blevins, Ph.D. John A. Blevins, Ph.D. Oversaw groundbreaking lunar projects, culminating with the successful first launch of an uncrewed rocket that orbited the moon, paving the way for new scientific discoveries, further space exploration and a potential future human mission to Mars.
