2023 Winner Paul Nissenbaum, Gloria M. Shepherd, Maria S. Lefevre and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Implementation Team Management Excellence Paul Nissenbaum, Gloria M. Shepherd, Maria S. Lefevre and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Implementation Team Helped craft and implement the $1 trillion infrastructure law that will modernize the nation’s highways, bridges, shipping ports, railroads and airports.
2023 Winner Brian Key, Scott Bellamy and The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test Team Science, Technology and Environment Brian Key, Scott Bellamy and The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test Team Managed the NASA team that successfully altered the orbit of an asteroid, providing the first-ever planetary defense test that could protect Earth from celestial threats.
2023 Winner Melissa Emrey-Arras Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Melissa Emrey-Arras Led investigations and proposed recommendations that have helped millions access federal student aid and have their student loans forgiven, while rooting out fraudulent student loan schemes.
2023 Winner Joshua C. Mellor, Nicholas I. Cheviron, Stephanie Stevens and Operation Trojan Shield Safety, Security and International Affairs Joshua C. Mellor, Nicholas I. Cheviron, Stephanie Stevens and Operation Trojan Shield Conceived and led a unique worldwide investigation using information from a government-controlled encrypted messaging service that resulted in the arrest of more than a thousand drug traffickers and members of organized crime syndicates.
2023 Winner Laura K. Cooper and The Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Policy team Safety, Security and International Affairs Laura K. Cooper and The Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Policy team Created the structure for a nimble, meaningful response by the U.S. and its allies to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s unprovoked aggression and deliver military supplies at an unprecedented pace.
Winner Judy Woodruff Spirit of Service Award Judy Woodruff An iconic journalist who champions public service, public servants and a more effective government.
2023 Winner Sarah O’Donnell, Allison Hutchings, Megan Meacham and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Team People's Choice Award Sarah O’Donnell, Allison Hutchings, Megan Meacham and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Team Created a major initiative that provides grants for prevention, treatment and recovery services to help millions of people suffering from opioid use in rural communities across the country.
2023 Finalist Anne Lord Bailey, Caitlin Rawlins and the VA Immersive Team Science, Technology and Environment Anne Lord Bailey, Caitlin Rawlins and the VA Immersive Team Built a cutting-edge nationwide immersive technology network to empower front-line staff and enable the treatment of veterans for a wide range of medical issues such as anxiety, depression, pain management, spinal cord injuries and more.
2023 Finalist Carolyn Hightower Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Carolyn Hightower Empowered victims of crime, mass violence and terrorism by developing, implementing and overseeing landmark victim support programs and professionalizing the field of victim assistance.
2023 Finalist Michael E. Camal Emerging Leaders Michael E. Camal Leads and has expanded a government campaign to help aviation personnel identify potential victims of human trafficking and report their suspicions to law enforcement.
2023 Finalist Adam M. Phillippy, Sergey Koren, Arang Rhie and The Telomere-to-Telomere Team Science, Technology and Environment Adam M. Phillippy, Sergey Koren, Arang Rhie and The Telomere-to-Telomere Team Conducted the first complete assembly of the human genome, sequencing the most difficult, final part of our genetic makeup, advancing our understanding of our biological blueprint and opening up scientific frontiers that could revolutionize the treatment of a multitude of diseases.
2023 Finalist Lisa Hsiao Safety, Security and International Affairs Lisa Hsiao Secured huge penalties against major corporations engaged in detrimental, unfair and deceptive trade practices.
2023 Finalist Shadrach Ludeman, Terah Yaroch, Brooke Harding and the Office of Transition Initiatives Ukraine Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Shadrach Ludeman, Terah Yaroch, Brooke Harding and the Office of Transition Initiatives Ukraine Team Provided critical assistance to the Ukrainian people following the 2022 Russian invasion, partnering with local organizations to help Ukrainians evacuate to safety and deliver food, clothing, power generators and other supplies to those in need.
2023 Finalist Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris Emerging Leaders Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris Engaged in pioneering work that deploys insects as natural predators against other bugs that damage crops such as apples and pears, limiting the use of harmful pesticides, saving farmers money and protecting the environment.
2023 Finalist Sarah L. Nelson, Samantha L. Calkins and the National Ignition Team Science, Technology and Environment Sarah L. Nelson, Samantha L. Calkins and the National Ignition Team Managed a complex scientific enterprise that for the first time produced a fusion reaction that created a net energy gain, a breakthrough in the decades-long, multibillion-dollar quest that could lead to advancements in national defense and clean energy.
2023 Finalist Michael Reardon Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Michael Reardon Successfully promoted a wide range of policies and practices to the states and businesses that have provided greater access to employment, transportation and technology for millions of people with disabilities.
2023 Winner Fletcher Schoen and Jennifer Harkins Emerging Leaders Fletcher Schoen and Jennifer Harkins Played integral roles in the release of 11 American prisoners wrongfully detained in Russia and Venezuela, contributing to creative diplomatic strategies and delicate negotiations while showing compassion to the families and keeping them informed.
2023 Finalist Zachary Johnson Safety, Security and International Affairs Zachary Johnson Played pivotal role in responding to radiological threats caused by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as securing the relocation of Department of Energy partners in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
2023 Finalist Dr. John Palmieri, Richard McKeon, James Wright, and the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office Management Excellence Dr. John Palmieri, Richard McKeon, James Wright, and the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office Established a new 988 national three-digit suicide prevention and drug crisis telephone, text and chat lifeline service, helping greater numbers of people receive assistance than an older 10-digit phone line, while providing quicker, more professional support.
2023 Finalist Dave Clark Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Dave Clark Managed 94 Navy aviation crash investigations worldwide over two decades that uncovered safety problems and led to important aircraft modifications that have saved countless lives.
2023 Finalist Blane Workie, Robert Gorman, Jessica Ilich and the Aviation Consumer Protection Team Management Excellence Blane Workie, Robert Gorman, Jessica Ilich and the Aviation Consumer Protection Team Led an aggressive campaign to ensure airlines refund travelers for canceled or significantly delayed flights and require coverage of other related costs when circumstances are within the airline’s control, and held airlines accountable with a record $8.35 million in fines and more than $1 billion in passenger refunds.
2023 Finalist Mark V. Ingram Emerging Leaders Mark V. Ingram Developed and launched the main innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, improving pilot safety, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and strengthening our national defense.
2023 Finalist Ralph Roe Jr. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Ralph Roe Jr. Played an instrumental role during a four-decade NASA career in dramatically reshaping the agency’s safety culture to help ensure the successful exploration of the universe.
2023 Finalist J. Vincent Edwards Science, Technology and Environment J. Vincent Edwards Developed innovative and highly effective new cotton-based medical gauze and dressings for trauma and chronic wound patients that are now in use by hospitals and first responders.
2023 Finalist Rear Adm. Nancy Hann Management Excellence Rear Adm. Nancy Hann Instituted policies to dramatically curb sexual harassment, assault and bullying among employees aboard NOAA’s marine fleet and aircraft, creating a safer workplace and changing the organization’s culture.
2023 Finalist Cheryl T. Seager Science, Technology and Environment Cheryl T. Seager Initiated creative and extraordinarily successful techniques to identify and clamp down on violators of air, hazardous waste and water pollution laws, particularly in communities at risk.
2023 Finalist Eric J. “Rocky” Feuer Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Eric J. “Rocky” Feuer Built a sophisticated system using statistical analysis to better understand and interpret national cancer trends, leading to significant prevention, screening and treatment options that have saved countless lives.
2023 Finalist Lisa Gifaldi, Shelly Pierce, Andrea Gold-O’Connor and the SNAP Online Purchasing Team Management Excellence Lisa Gifaldi, Shelly Pierce, Andrea Gold-O’Connor and the SNAP Online Purchasing Team Developed a system that for the first time allowed millions of low-income urban and rural residents lacking access to supermarkets and healthy food choices to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to purchase food online.
2022 Winner Gregory Robinson Federal Employee of the Year Gregory Robinson Oversaw the successful launch of NASA’s revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope after years of delays and billions of dollars in cost overruns, setting the stage for spectacular discoveries about the origins of the universe.
2022 Winner Krista Kinnard Emerging Leaders Krista Kinnard Ignited a technology transformation at the Department of Labor by automating repetitive administrative processes, saving time and money, and creating greater efficiencies.
2022 Winner Dr. H. Clifford Lane, M.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Dr. H. Clifford Lane, M.D. Conducted pioneering work to combat HIV/AIDS that has saved countless lives, organized breakthrough clinical trials for Ebola in Africa and helped establish medical guidelines to treat COVID-19 during the pandemic.
2022 Winner Holly Herrera, Hilary Ingraham, Kiera Berdinner and the Operation Allies Welcome Resettlement Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Holly Herrera, Hilary Ingraham, Kiera Berdinner and the Operation Allies Welcome Resettlement Team Coordinated the largest resettlement of refugees in modern U.S. history, providing housing and services in record time to more than 72,000 people who fled from Afghanistan in 2021 as American military forces withdrew from that war-torn country.
2022 Winner Cynthia A. Newberg Science, Technology and Environment Cynthia A. Newberg Played an instrumental role internationally and in the U.S. to curb the use of hydrofluorocarbons, incredibly potent greenhouse gases that are major contributors to climate change.
2022 Winner Dr. Amanda Cohn, Anita Patel, Dr. David Fitter and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force COVID-19 Response Dr. Amanda Cohn, Anita Patel, Dr. David Fitter and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Designed and implemented the plan to distribute hundreds of millions of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines to states, localities and pharmacies nationwide while providing critical health information to the public.
2022 Winner Barbara C. Morton Management Excellence Barbara C. Morton Built trust and a customer-oriented culture among veterans and their families seeking services and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs by listening and responding to their needs.
2021 Winner Michelle Daniels, Charles D. Eldridge, Ryan E. Jones and the Office of Public and Indian Housing Foster Youth to Independence team Management Excellence Michelle Daniels, Charles D. Eldridge, Ryan E. Jones and the Office of Public and Indian Housing Foster Youth to Independence team Created an innovative program offering housing assistance and social services to young people aging out of foster care to prevent them from becoming homeless and to provide an opportunity for self-sufficiency.
2022 Winner Josh Josa People's Choice Award Josh Josa Leveraged U.S. resources and influence to promote educational opportunities in developing nations for children and youth with disabilities.
2021 Winner Evan R. Kwerel, Ph.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Evan R. Kwerel, Ph.D. Pioneered the use of competitive spectrum auctions to allocate the public airwaves for sound, data and video transmissions, helping fuel the digital revolution while adding more than $200 billion to the government’s coffers.
2022 Winner Darren Walker Spirit of Service Award Darren Walker A philanthropic leader and innovator working to build a more equitable and just world.
2021 Winner Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D. COVID-19 Response Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D. Developed and implemented federal programs to increase testing as well as participation in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine trials in underserved communities across the country.
2022 Finalist Hila Hanif, Umid Khikmatov and the Afghanistan Policy Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Hila Hanif, Umid Khikmatov and the Afghanistan Policy Team Organized the successful evacuation of more than 120,000 Afghans, Americans and NATO partners during the chaotic American military withdrawal from Afghanistan during two weeks in August 2021.
2021 Winner Reem M. Ghandour, DrPH Science, Technology and Environment Reem M. Ghandour, DrPH Transformed and revitalized a national survey on children’s physical, emotional and developmental health, providing timely and insightful data to state and federal policymakers.
2022 Finalist Suma Nair, Ph.D., M.S. COVID-19 Response Suma Nair, Ph.D., M.S. Coordinated the federal initiative to supply community health centers nationwide that assist underserved populations with life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, antiviral medications, testing kits and protective face masks.
2021 Winner Callie I. Higgins, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders Callie I. Higgins, Ph.D. Invented a groundbreaking technology to detect and remedy microscopic flaws that threaten the safety and reliability of 3D–printed products, potentially revolutionizing the medical, plastics, coatings, optics and additive manufacturing fields.
2022 Finalist Rupa Bhattacharyya Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Rupa Bhattacharyya Managed three separate victim’s compensation funds during a lengthy federal career, most recently revitalizing the fund that provides payments to those harmed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
2021 Winner Laurene Powell Jobs Spirit of Service Award Laurene Powell Jobs A leader committed to systemic social change.
2022 Finalist Steven Musser, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Steven Musser, Ph.D. Championed the use of whole genome sequencing and a public database to identify foodborne diseases that sicken millions of people every year, enabling authorities to remove dangerous products more quickly from the marketplace and protect public health.
2021 Finalist Anne Schuchat, M.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Anne Schuchat, M.D. As one of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts, has led numerous high-profile and consequential disease outbreak investigations to protect public health and save countless lives.
2021 Finalist C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D. Led the development of a satellite-based monitoring system that provides accurate forecasts and early warnings to environmental officials worldwide at a time when rising ocean temperatures threaten the health of coral reefs.
2022 Finalist Scott Busby Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Scott Busby Designed and oversaw landmark efforts to advance human rights overseas and hold violators accountable.
2022 Finalist Jonathan Dworken Safety, Security and International Affairs Jonathan Dworken Coordinated the delivery of critical U.S. assistance to the people of Ethiopia amid a violent conflict.
2021 Finalist Mary Frances Matthews Management Excellence Mary Frances Matthews Reduced the lengthy backlog of disability appeals for veterans by 87% in two years, providing long-awaited decisions on benefits to thousands of individuals.
2022 Finalist Roy Dotson and the CARES Act Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Roy Dotson and the CARES Act Team Conducted a nationwide criminal investigation that recovered $1.2 billion in stolen federal pandemic relief payments meant for small businesses and the unemployed, and halted the dispersal of $2.2 billion more in fraudulently requested funds.
2022 Finalist Nathan R. Newbury, Ian Coddington, Ph.D., Kevin Cossel, Ph.D. and team Science, Technology and Environment Nathan R. Newbury, Ian Coddington, Ph.D., Kevin Cossel, Ph.D. and team Developed a revolutionary system to detect methane gas leaks from oil and gas production facilities as well as identify other pollutants that are major contributors to global warming.
2021 Finalist Adam Jacoff and the Emergency Response Robotics team Safety, Security and International Affairs Adam Jacoff and the Emergency Response Robotics team Developed sophisticated testing standards to ensure ground, underwater and aerial robots have the capability to help emergency responders and the military handle disasters and other dangerous situations.
2021 Finalist Ian Brownlee and the Interagency COVID Repatriation team COVID-19 Response Ian Brownlee and the Interagency COVID Repatriation team Created and managed a State Department-led task force that repatriated more than 100,000 Americans who were stranded in countries all over the world when borders were closed and airports shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
2022 Finalist Robert Fenton COVID-19 Response Robert Fenton Orchestrated the creation of 39 mass vaccination centers in early 2021 that in a short time administered lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines to 5.6 million people while also providing federal support to 1,600 smaller vaccination sites throughout the country.
2022 Finalist Craig McLean Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Craig McLean Played a critical role for decades in the exploration and mapping of the oceans which has provided insights into climate change, helped improve weather forecasting and led to a better understanding of marine life.
2021 Finalist Edward Sisco, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders Edward Sisco, Ph.D. Devised a new method for crime laboratories to identify opioids and other drugs more quickly and safely, providing critical information to law enforcement while protecting lab employees from dangerous substances.
2021 Finalist Mary D. Gibert Management Excellence Mary D. Gibert Successfully coordinated the federal assistance effort for the 2020–21 presidential transition in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and a disputed election.
