2016 Finalist Mariela Melero and the Customer Service and Public Engagement Directorate Citizen Services Mariela Melero and the Customer Service and Public Engagement Directorate Made immigration resources more accessible and user-friendly, including a cutting-edge online tool that can answer 90 percent of questions posed by those seeking U.S. citizenship or residency.
2016 Winner Lisa M. Jones Citizen Services Lisa M. Jones Helped low-income communities gain access to investment capital to fund health-care centers, charter schools, day-care centers, housing, small business development and commercial real estate projects.
2016 Finalist Joseph J. Mueller Citizen Services Joseph J. Mueller Prevented the collapse of a major dam that threatened the lives and property of thousands of residents and business owners downstream, and could have disrupted New York City’s water supply.
2016 Finalist Thomas O’Toole Citizen Services Thomas O’Toole Created two nationwide programs to help high-risk, high-need homeless veterans receive the comprehensive medical care, housing assistance and social services they need to get off the street and reclaim their lives.
2011 Finalist Kim Nazi and the Blue Button Initiative Team Citizen Services Kim Nazi and the Blue Button Initiative Team Established a simple process that allows veterans and beneficiaries in the VA, Medicare and DOD health systems to download their personal health information, empowering them to take charge of managing their own care.
2011 Finalist Julie Rushin Citizen Services Julie Rushin Developed a way for prospective college students and their parents to import tax data onto their online federal loan applications, streamlining a time-consuming and error-prone process.
2015 Finalist John P. Wagner Citizen Services John P. Wagner Implemented facial recognition systems that simplify and fortify airport security, helping travelers reach their destinations faster while stopping suspected terrorists and others attempting to enter and leave the U.S. using false documents
2015 Finalist Kevin G. Stricklin and the MSHA Mine Emergency Team Citizen Services Kevin G. Stricklin and the MSHA Mine Emergency Team Improved coal mine safety and reduced deadly accidents to the lowest number in history, and led dangerous rescue operations to save trapped miners.
2015 Finalist Constantine P. Sarkos Citizen Services Constantine P. Sarkos Protected commercial air travelers by leading major fire safety improvements that have increased passenger survivability during blazes occurring in-flight and after crash landings.
2015 Winner Lucile Jones Citizen Services Lucile Jones Spurred communities and states to prepare for catastrophic earthquakes by applying her groundbreaking research and taking preventive measures to protect citizens and critical infrastructure.
2014 Finalist Günter Waibel, Adam Metallo and Vincent Rossi Citizen Services Günter Waibel, Adam Metallo and Vincent Rossi Made iconic treasures from the Smithsonian’s vast collection accessible to students, teachers, historians and curious visitors everywhere through the use of computerized 3-D imaging and printing technologies.
2014 Finalist Douglas James Norton Citizen Services Douglas James Norton Engaged citizens, scientists and state agencies in protecting their local streams, lakes and rivers by providing access to water quality data and assessment tools via the web.
2014 Finalist Marcia Crosse Citizen Services Marcia Crosse Directed congressional attention to the Food and Drug Administration’s increased global role in the regulation of drugs and medical devices leading to reforms to better protect public health.
2014 Winner Michael Byrne Citizen Services Michael Byrne Put detailed data about our nation’s broadband availability and communications systems in the hands of citizens and policymakers through the use of interactive online maps and other visualizations.
2014 Finalist James D. Green Citizen Services James D. Green Collaborated with the ambulance manufacturing industry and multiple federal agencies to create ambulance crash standards to help reduce injuries and fatalities among EMS workers and patients.
2013 Finalist Terence V. Milholland Citizen Services Terence V. Milholland Overhauled IRS’ information technology and tax processing systems, leading to quicker refunds and notices to taxpayers, reduced fraud and better internal management.
2013 Finalist Martha Dorris Citizen Services Martha Dorris 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.
2013 Finalist Dave Broomell Citizen Services Dave Broomell Developed a number of technology innovations that have improved Social Security’s customer service and employee efficiency.
2013 Winner Daniel Madrzykowski Citizen Services Daniel Madrzykowski Dramatically improved firefighting practices by conducting and sharing sophisticated research that has saved firefighters’ lives and protected property across the nation.
2013 Finalist J. Todd Weber and the CDC Multistate Response Team Citizen Services J. Todd Weber and the CDC Multistate Response Team Quickly identified contaminated medicine as the cause of a major meningitis outbreak in 2012, and led the national public health response.
2012 Winner Susan Angell, Mark Johnston and the Homeless Veterans Initiative Team Citizen Services Susan Angell, Mark Johnston and the Homeless Veterans Initiative Team 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.
2012 Finalist Livia Marques Citizen Services Livia Marques Led a nationwide initiative that resulted in the creation of more than 1,600 community-based “People’s Gardens” and the donation of 1.3 million pounds of produce to the needy.
2012 Finalist Heidi King and James Battles Citizen Services Heidi King and James Battles Created and implemented a health-care professional team training program that has become the gold standard for eliminating thousands of preventable patient deaths each year due to medical errors.
2012 Finalist Lance Rodewald Citizen Services Lance Rodewald Enhanced vaccine programs to protect greater numbers of children against life-threatening diseases by adding new vaccines, modernizing distribution, and reducing racial, ethnic and economic disparities.
2012 Finalist Michael A. McBride Citizen Services Michael A. McBride Established partnerships with more than 4,000 organizations that have annually enlisted nearly 90,000 volunteers to prepare millions of federal tax returns for disadvantaged filers.
2011 Finalist Julius Knapp, Ruth Milkman, Sharon Gillett and the Omnibus Broadband Initiative Team Citizen Services Julius Knapp, Ruth Milkman, Sharon Gillett and the Omnibus Broadband Initiative Team Developed a comprehensive strategy to ensure every American has access to high speed Internet service, laying a foundation for economic growth and global competitiveness.
2011 Winner Diane K. Braunstein Citizen Services Diane K. Braunstein 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.
2010 Finalist Jennifer Main, Timothy G. Massad, David N. Miller and the Troubled Asset Relief Program Team Citizen Services Jennifer Main, Timothy G. Massad, David N. Miller and the Troubled Asset Relief Program Team Implemented a $700 billion rescue plan to secure the nation’s banking system and help the American people by halting the worst economic recession since the Great Depression.
2010 Finalist Robert Benzon Citizen Services Robert Benzon Served as Investigator in Charge of the “Miracle on the Hudson” and other high-profile airplane crash investigations, advancing aviation safety for millions of travelers worldwide.
2010 Finalist Deborah Autor Citizen Services Deborah Autor Through aggressive enforcement actions, incentives and multi-faceted education campaigns, is stopping the distribution of hundreds of unapproved prescription drugs.
2010 Winner Shane Kelley and Eva Ristow Citizen Services Shane Kelley and Eva Ristow Improved the delivery of Social Security benefits to citizens living in impoverished and remote locations through an innovative two-way video service.
2009 Finalist Gail Lovelace Citizen Services Gail Lovelace Led the civil service’s efforts to ensure a smooth and peaceful presidential transition from the Bush to the Obama administration.
2009 Finalist Tim Evans Citizen Services Tim Evans Led the improvement of the Social Security Administration’s benefits and information websites, which rank higher in customer satisfaction ratings than Amazon, Google and Yahoo.
2009 Winner Michael German Citizen Services Michael German 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.
2008 Finalist Carolyn Shanoff and the Team Citizen Services Carolyn Shanoff and the Team Preventing identity theft by educating more than 120 million American households about the crime.
2008 Winner Rajiv Jain Citizen Services Rajiv Jain 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.
2008 Finalist David J. Lipman Citizen Services David J. Lipman Led the development of the groundbreaking PubMed Central database which enhances biomedical research in a way that is accelerating scientific discovery and increasing public knowledge.
2007 Finalist David Williams Citizen Services David Williams Revamped outreach efforts for the Earned Income Tax Credit, helping hundreds of thousands of Americans receive vital benefits, and oversaw the Telephone Excise Tax Refund–the largest one-time tax refund in history.
2007 Finalist John Doll and David Freeland Citizen Services John Doll and David Freeland Created the first successful Internet-based electronic filing system for U.S. patent applications.
2007 Winner Dinah F. B. Cohen Citizen Services Dinah F. B. Cohen 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.
2007 Finalist Wallace Fung and Henry Chao Citizen Services Wallace Fung and Henry Chao Created the IT infrastructure that supports the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
2006 Finalist Robin E. Ware Citizen Services Robin E. Ware Led the quick and full recovery of mail service to the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
2006 Finalist Raymond Brammer, Jr. Citizen Services Raymond Brammer, Jr. Led effort to get Social Security benefits to Hurricane Katrina victims and restore SSA operations in Louisiana.
2006 Finalist Kevin Harrison and the DEA Rescue Team Citizen Services Kevin Harrison and the DEA Rescue Team Rescued 90 seniors who had been abandoned in an assisted living facility after Hurricane Katrina.
2006 Finalist Betsy Kinter Citizen Services Betsy Kinter Set up customer call centers that helped 948,000 Hurricane Katrina victims receive federal relief.
2006 Winner Thomas Casadevall and the USGS Hurricane Response Team Citizen Services Thomas Casadevall and the USGS Hurricane Response Team Used technology to help locate and rescue thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims and personally conducted rescue missions that saved 600 people.
2005 Finalist Robert Otto Citizen Services Robert Otto Brought the post office to the people by developing the USPS’s web services.
2005 Finalist Coral Childs and the GSA Computers for Learning Team Citizen Services Coral Childs and the GSA Computers for Learning Team Coordinated government-wide effort to distribute more than 118,000 computers and related equipment to needy schools.
2005 Winner Terence Lutes Citizen Services Terence Lutes Led the development of the popular e-File 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.
2005 Finalist Dennis Wagner and the Leadership Team Citizen Services Dennis Wagner and the Leadership Team Developed and conducted an initiative that has generated rapid increases in organ donation in the U.S., already saving or enhancing 1,400 additional lives in 2004.
2004 Finalist Margaret Washnitzer Citizen Services Margaret Washnitzer Pioneered new performance-focused management principles that have revolutionized the way that we deliver aid to social service providers and low-income families.
2004 Winner Eileen Harrington and the FTC Do Not Call Team Citizen Services Eileen Harrington and the FTC Do Not Call Team Developed and implemented the federal Do Not Call Registry, which has reduced the number of telemarketing calls for more than 60 million Americans.
2003 Finalist Donna Bonar Citizen Services Donna Bonar Created a computer database to track and enforce child support payments.
2003 Finalist Ray McKinney and the Team Citizen Services Ray McKinney and the Team The Mine Safety and Health Administration, led by Ray McKinney, saved the nine Quecreek miners trapped in a cold, dank mine 240 feet below ground.
2003 Finalist Terry Van Allen Citizen Services Terry Van Allen Developed a school of entrepreneurship for one of Texas’ most impoverished communities.
2003 Finalist Marcella Banks Citizen Services Marcella Banks Bridged the digital divide for Native American communities and the military during her 45-year federal career.
2004 Finalist Thomas Cacciarelli Citizen Services Thomas Cacciarelli Gave up a successful job at one of the most prestigious liver transplant hospitals in the world to ensure that veterans in need of organ donors would receive swift and affordable care.
2003 Finalist Kevin Carr Citizen Services Kevin Carr Revolutionized American manufacturing with comprehensive technical, business and consulting services.
2004 Finalist Joseph A. Foster Citizen Services Joseph A. Foster Coordinated the federal legal response to contain outbreak of monkeypox, and also helped manage the federal legal response to SARS and West Nile Virus occurrences.
2003 Winner Nelson Hernandez and the Community Affairs Team Citizen Services Nelson Hernandez and the Community Affairs Team Helped disadvantaged Americans learn how to benefit from personal banking services and better manage their money.
