2024 Finalist Jerry Ma Emerging Leaders Jerry Ma Developed new technology tools for Patent and Trademark Office personnel and the public, and led efforts to establish the agency’s approach toward the use of artificial intelligence for inventions seeking patents.
2024 Finalist Darnita S. Trower, Wanda J. Brown, Gerald D. Johnson and the Paperless Processing Initiative Team Management Excellence Darnita S. Trower, Wanda J. Brown, Gerald D. Johnson and the Paperless Processing Initiative Team Developed a new system that will enable taxpayers to electronically submit all correspondence and non-tax forms to the IRS for the 2024 filing season, laying the groundwork for future advancements in paperless processing.
2024 Finalist Janet Woodcock Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Janet Woodcock Transformed the Food and Drug Administration’s drug review process to expand access to generic medicines and promising medications to treat severe, life-threatening diseases.
2024 Finalist Marc Levitan, Long Phan and the Tornado Wind Loads Team Science, Technology and Environment Marc Levitan, Long Phan and the Tornado Wind Loads Team Created the world’s first tornado-resistant building codes, conducting groundbreaking research that will save lives and protect critical facilities like schools, hospitals and emergency centers from extensive property damage.
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 Sammie Tafoya Emerging Leaders Sammie Tafoya Led the drafting of a visa revocation policy for Haitians involved in criminal activity and human rights abuses while contributing to sanctions packages and a U.N. resolution that impose penalties against those undermining peace and stability in the Caribbean nation.
2024 Finalist Christopher Johnston, Rachel Han, Ryan Thurlwell and the VA Mobile App Team Management Excellence Christopher Johnston, Rachel Han, Ryan Thurlwell and the VA Mobile App Team Developed an app that enables veterans to use their mobile phones or tablets to view and cancel health care appointments, manage claims, upload documentation, obtain vaccine records, message their doctor, locate Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and more.
2024 Finalist Andrea Fletcher Emerging Leaders Andrea Fletcher Led teams at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create online services that help patients dispute unexpected medical bills and hospitals make their prices transparent to the public.
2024 Finalist Elizabeth (Biza) Repko Management Excellence Elizabeth (Biza) Repko Led critical research projects that exposed gaps in vehicle safety features, and uncovered shortcomings in the reliability of the U.S. rail and highway systems.
2024 Finalist Francine E. Alkisswani, Ph.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Francine E. Alkisswani, Ph.D. Advocated for and implemented a federal program to promote historically Black colleges and universities as innovation hubs that bridge the digital divide for underserved communities.
2024 Finalist Neil Cheatwood, Stephen Hughes Science, Technology and Environment Neil Cheatwood, Stephen Hughes Envisioned and led the development of a new inflatable heat shield for planetary entry, descent and landing that will enable spacecraft to deliver bigger payloads to distant planets, including during a future human mission to Mars.
2024 Finalist Yan Ping (Judy) Chen, Jay D. Evans Science, Technology and Environment Yan Ping (Judy) Chen, Jay D. Evans Revolutionized bee disease diagnosis and treatment, introducing cutting-edge technologies to detect virus pathogens and developing novel medicines to enhance bee health and prevent colony collapse.
2024 Finalist Christopher Mark Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Christopher Mark Devoted a lengthy federal career to preventing fatalities from roof falls and other underground mining disasters, saving countless lives.
2024 Finalist 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 Robert J. McGaughey Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Robert J. McGaughey Developed open-source software that converts voluminous aerial data into detailed information that enables better management of forestlands.
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 Amira Choueiki Boland Management Excellence Amira Choueiki Boland Pioneered policies to improve government services and the customer experience in areas ranging from newborn care and disaster assistance to renewing passports online.
2024 Finalist Tara McHugh Science, Technology and Environment Tara McHugh Partnered with innovators to develop novel healthy processed food products that have reduced food waste and created jobs in high-unemployment areas, and now leads more than 1,400 employees in eight Western states.
2024 Finalist Thaddeus A. Ryba Jr. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Thaddeus A. Ryba Jr. Played a critical diplomatic and scientific role in international negotiations that led to the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria and Libya, contributed to the final destruction of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile and enabled the banning of deadly nerve agents.
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.
2024 Finalist Karl Simon, Christine Koester, Matt Lakin and the Clean School Bus Team Science, Technology and Environment Karl Simon, Christine Koester, Matt Lakin and the Clean School Bus Team Designed and implemented a program that funds new electric and cleaner-energy school buses, reducing pollution and improving air quality for children in low-income communities.
2024 Finalist Kyle Gardiner Emerging Leaders Kyle Gardiner Played a leading role in streamlining burdensome government forms, shifting how federal agencies collect information and ensuring deserving recipients receive public benefits.
2024 Finalist Matthew S. Borman Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Matthew S. Borman Led pivotal efforts to impose export controls on U.S. adversaries to deny them access to critical American technology that could be used for military purposes.
2024 Finalist Mike Schmidt and the CHIPS Program Team Management Excellence Mike Schmidt and the CHIPS Program Team Implemented a multibillion-dollar program to supercharge the U.S. semiconductor industry that will increase domestic production of chips that are vital to our everyday life and strengthen American manufacturing and national security.
2024 Finalist Nancy Alcantara, Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold and the Packers Sanitation Investigation Leads Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Nancy Alcantara, Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Winner Darren Walker Spirit of Service Award Darren Walker A philanthropic leader and innovator working to build a more equitable and just world.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
2022 Finalist Mitchell Zeller, J.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Mitchell Zeller, J.D. Directed federal efforts to regulate the marketing and accessibility of tobacco products that can cause death and disease, instituting policies that cut back on cigarette usage and saved lives.
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 Finalist David Rader Emerging Leaders David Rader Led a critical initiative to monitor and prevent foreign investments in American technology companies that can be used by adversaries to gain an economic and military advantage over the United States.
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.
