2024 Winner Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold, Nancy Alcantara and the Packers Sanitation Investigation Leads Team Federal Employees of the Year Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold, Nancy Alcantara and the Packers Sanitation Investigation Leads Team Discovered more than 100 children ages 13 to 17 illegally working on dangerous machinery in 13 meat slaughterhouses across eight states, leading to a large civil penalty and a new approach to child labor law enforcement.
2024 Winner Pete Guria, Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald and the 2023 Maui Wildfires Emergency Response Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Pete Guria, Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald and the 2023 Maui Wildfires Emergency Response Team Directed more than 300 Environmental Protection Agency personnel to remove tons of hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires while respecting local cultural norms and setting standards for federal response teams that followed.
2024 Finalist Tony Mento, Camille Otto, Hari Kalla Safety, Security and International Affairs Tony Mento, Camille Otto, Hari Kalla Provided critical coordination as well as technical expertise that led to the reopening of a major interstate highway in Philadelphia less than two weeks after a fiery gasoline tanker crash destroyed a bridge over an exit ramp.
2024 Finalist Kaitlin Sahni, Kate Naseef, Nhan Nguyen and the Chemical Prosecutions Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Kaitlin Sahni, Kate Naseef, Nhan Nguyen and the Chemical Prosecutions Team Investigated and prosecuted the first case against individuals supplying precursor chemicals to a Mexican drug cartel, disrupting methamphetamine and fentanyl production in Mexico and establishing a framework to build similar cases in the future.
2024 Finalist Trevor McAleenan, Michael Lane Safety, Security and International Affairs Trevor McAleenan, Michael Lane Spearheaded a cutting-edge investigation that led to the seizure and forfeiture of more than $3 billion worth of bitcoin, one of the largest financial seizures in the history of the U.S. government.
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 Federal Employee of the Year 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Finalist Kyle Armstrong, Chris Janczewski, Ryan Landers and the Bitcoin Terror Takedown Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Kyle Armstrong, Chris Janczewski, Ryan Landers and the Bitcoin Terror Takedown Team Dismantled a series of sophisticated online fundraising campaigns run by three separate anti-American international terrorist organizations, seizing millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency.
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 Kenneth Graham Safety, Security and International Affairs Kenneth Graham Coordinated the national response to the most active hurricane season on record during the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a 100% evacuation rate in the hardest–hit area during Hurricane Laura, the strongest U.S. landfall in 2020 season.
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.
2021 Finalist Chong Le Safety, Security and International Affairs Chong Le Oversaw the development of a $1 billion Air Force satellite system that will enable prediction of major weather events and natural disasters, providing military leaders and civilian authorities with information needed to make crucial, life-saving decisions.
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 Zack Schwartz and the Census Bureau Trust & Safety team Safety, Security and International Affairs Zack Schwartz and the Census Bureau Trust & Safety team Led the first-of-its-kind government team that worked with technology companies to combat misinformation and disinformation that threatened the integrity of the 2020 census.
2020 Winner Donna F. Dodson Safety, Security and International Affairs Donna F. Dodson Recognized as one of the nation’s premier cybersecurity experts, having helped develop the first commercially available encryption standards as well as state-of-the-art guidelines for government and industry to prevent, detect and respond to cyberattacks.
2020 Finalist Thomas Debass Safety, Security and International Affairs Thomas Debass Created public-private partnerships to advance America’s foreign policy interests while promoting economic growth and entrepreneurship in developing nations across the globe.
2020 Finalist Lina Alathari, Ph.D. Safety, Security and International Affairs Lina Alathari, Ph.D. Developed threat assessment guidelines and worked with law enforcement, educators and local communities to intervene and prevent possible mass shootings in schools, workplaces and public spaces.
2020 Finalist Christopher M. Janczewski, Zia M. Faruqui, Kimberly A. Reece and the W2V Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Christopher M. Janczewski, Zia M. Faruqui, Kimberly A. Reece and the W2V Team Led an international criminal investigation of the largest dark web child pornography site that accepted cryptocurrency to cloak more than one million video downloads, resulting in the arrest of the operator, more than 330 users and the rescue of 25 exploited children.
