Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals logo

Meet the Honorees

This premier awards program for career federal employees, known as the Sammies and considered the “Oscars” of public service, shines the spotlight on remarkable accomplishments that benefit the nation, seeks to build trust in our government and illustrates the role of the nonpartisan civil service, highlighting what we lose when it is disrupted.

As we shine a light on public service excellence in a time of uncertainty, we invite you to join us celebrating the 2025 Service to America Medals honorees.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Laura W. Cheever, M.D.
Laura W. Cheever, M.D.

Successfully managed a major federal program for more than two decades that has provided lifesaving care and treatment for millions of low-income, uninsured and underinsured Americans suffering from HIV/AIDS.

2025 Honoree
Kyle Randall Knipper, Ph.D.
Kyle Randall Knipper, Ph.D.

Developed satellite-based models for transforming traditional irrigation practices, providing growers with detailed, near real-time information about how much water their crops use and enabling better irrigation scheduling and crop health.

2025 Honoree
Kathleen Kirsch
Kathleen Kirsch

Guided critical U.S. efforts to defend and rebuild Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the face of devastating Russian attacks, keeping the lights and heat on for millions of Ukrainians and helping to maintain the country’s energy independence.

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
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.

2025 Honoree
Alexander Maranghides
Alexander Maranghides

Conducted decades of important research into how fires that occur in communities adjacent to wildlands spread, what can be done to prevent them and how to protect life and property.

Honoree Pager

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