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 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.
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.
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.
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.
2021 Winner Laurene Powell Jobs Spirit of Service Award Laurene Powell Jobs A leader committed to systemic social change.
2021 Winner Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Ph.D., Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D. Federal Employee of the Year Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Ph.D., Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D. Conducted groundbreaking research that led to the development of highly effective vaccines in record time that are protecting hundreds of millions of people from contracting the deadly coronavirus that swept across the globe in 2020 and 2021.
2021 Winner Ana B. Hinojosa, Eric Choy and team People's Choice Award Ana B. Hinojosa, Eric Choy and team Directed enforcement actions against companies seeking to import goods produced by forced labor in China and other countries as part of a broader human rights effort to curb modern-day slavery.
2020 Winner Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Federal Employee of the Year Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Served as the government’s premier expert and spokesperson on infectious diseases during six presidencies, including taking a prominent role in seeking to protect the public from the highly contagious and deadly new coronavirus that swept through the country and the world in 2020.
2020 Winner Ira Pastan, M.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Ira Pastan, M.D. Discovered a new class of drugs that can successfully treat a rare form of leukemia and hold promise to be effective therapies for pancreatic and lung cancer as well as mesothelioma.
2020 Winner Beth Ripley, M.D., Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Beth Ripley, M.D., Ph.D. Created an interconnected, hospital-based 3D printing network that is assisting health care providers with medical procedures, reducing unnecessary surgeries and helping improve quality of life for veterans.
2020 Winner Neil C. Evans, M.D., Kathleen L. Frisbee, Ph.D., Kevin Galpin, M.D. Management Excellence Neil C. Evans, M.D., Kathleen L. Frisbee, Ph.D., Kevin Galpin, M.D. Developed vital telehealth options, mobile apps and digital services for veterans to receive health care virtually, while removing barriers to implementation through policy, regulatory and administrative changes.
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 Winner Vikram Krishnasamy, M.D. Emerging Leaders Vikram Krishnasamy, M.D. Established a training program and communications network to help local public health officials deal with the opioid epidemic, including coordinating outreach to patients when law enforcement arrested medical professionals for illegal conduct.
2020 Winner Corvelli A. McDaniel, Lorraine Cole, Ph.D. People's Choice Award Corvelli A. McDaniel, Lorraine Cole, Ph.D. Created an innovative program for large commercial financial institutions to provide management and technical assistance to help small and minority-owned banks strengthen their balance sheets and better serve low-income communities.
2019 Winner Victoria Brahm Federal Employee of the Year Victoria Brahm Restored the quality and safety of a broken health care center for veterans that had become notorious for unsafe medical practices, excessive opioid use and a toxic work environment
2019 Winner Ann McKee, M.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Ann McKee, M.D. Revolutionized scientific research and our understanding of the long-term effects of concussions, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, in veterans and athletes
2019 Winner Ryan Shelby, Ph.D. Safety, Security and International Affairs Ryan Shelby, Ph.D. Provided vital training and resources to help people in Haiti rebuild thousands of homes and roofs ripped apart by a Category 4 hurricane, making the structures safer and stronger to withstand future disasters
2019 Winner Jamie Rhome Safety, Security and International Affairs Jamie Rhome Created a new forecasting model and warning system that more accurately predicts the deadly storm surge caused by hurricanes, saving lives by alerting residents sooner of the approaching danger
2019 Winner Robert Cabana and the Kennedy Space Center Senior Management Team Management Excellence Robert Cabana and the Kennedy Space Center Senior Management Team Transformed the historic Kennedy Space Center into a globally distinguished, multiuser launch site for government and commercial space exploration, helping preserve our country’s leadership in this important field
2019 Winner Daniel B. Jernigan, M.D. Science, Technology and Environment Daniel B. Jernigan, M.D. Led response efforts for dozens of disease crises, including Ebola, SARS and West Nile virus, while greatly improving our country’s ability to identify, prepare for and respond to inevitable flu pandemics
2019 Winner Michael R. Bloomberg Spirit of Service Award Michael R. Bloomberg Public Servant, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
2018 Winner Jeff Bezos Spirit of Service Award Jeff Bezos Built successful businesses that deliver everyday goods and services, advance space exploration and contribute to our national security and the public good, and launched large-scale philanthropic initiatives to help homeless families and improve educational opportunities in low-income communities
2018 Winner Karen D. Dodge, Margaret Moeser and the Teams Safety, Security and International Affairs Karen D. Dodge, Margaret Moeser and the Teams Brought justice and restored financial losses of nearly $600 million for hundreds of thousands of people who were defrauded by money transfer scams
2018 Winner Andrew M. Herscowitz and the Power Africa Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Andrew M. Herscowitz and the Power Africa Team Provided electricity to some 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, while creating hundreds of millions of dollars in export opportunities for U.S. companies
2018 Winner Margaret Honein, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Margaret Honein, Ph.D. Collected and analyzed critical data to help protect women and babies from the mosquito-borne Zika virus that was spreading rapidly in the U.S. and its territories
2018 Winner Marcella Jacobs and the VA Digital Service Team Management Excellence Marcella Jacobs and the VA Digital Service Team Created online digital tools for veterans to more easily access benefits and services, delivering a high-quality and seamless user experience
2018 Winner Daniel L. Kastner, M.D., Ph.D. Federal Employee of the Year Daniel L. Kastner, M.D., Ph.D. Identified an entire new class of rare genetic diseases and treatments to alleviate suffering for thousands of patients in the U.S. and around the world
2018 Winner Parimal Kopardekar, Ph.D. and the Team Promising Innovations Medal Parimal Kopardekar, Ph.D. and the Team Designed a first-of-its-kind traffic management system for unmanned aerial vehicles, paving the way for large-scale use of commercial drones
2018 Winner Alison Smith, Ph.D. People's Choice Award Alison Smith, Ph.D. Pioneered the use of nanoparticles to mark sensitive military equipment with a unique fingerprint to guard against counterfeit products and protect our nation’s warfighters
2018 Winner Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, M.D. Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, M.D. Pioneered research to understand the prevalence of autism and other developmental disabilities, influencing the expansion of health, social and educational services for children with special needs
2017 Winner Phillip A. Brooks, Byron Bunker and Joshua H. Van Eaton Federal Employee of the Year Phillip A. Brooks, Byron Bunker and Joshua H. Van Eaton Halted a scheme by Volkswagen to evade emission standards, and helped secure a record $17.4 billion in legal settlements to reduce harmful pollution and compensate deceived car owners
2017 Winner Timothy P. Camus and the IRS Impersonation Scam Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Timothy P. Camus and the IRS Impersonation Scam Team Led a multiagency investigation and public awareness campaign to stop a massive fraud that conned thousands of Americans into paying millions of dollars in bogus tax bills
2017 Winner Rory A. Cooper Science, Technology and Environment Rory A. Cooper Designed innovative wheelchairs and other assistive technology equipment that has greatly improved the mobility and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans and other Americans
2017 Winner Flora M. Jordan Promising Innovations Medal Flora M. Jordan Designed new, lighter body armor that is just as protective as existing equipment and can be adjusted for smaller physiques, giving warfighters greater mobility and reducing long-term health effects
2017 Winner Courtney Lias, Stayce Beck and the FDA Artificial Pancreas Team Management Excellence Courtney Lias, Stayce Beck and the FDA Artificial Pancreas Team Paved the way for the first artificial pancreas device to receive FDA approval faster than expected, helping transform the lives of Americans with Type 1 diabetes
2017 Winner Alex Mahoney and the Middle East Crisis Humanitarian Response Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Alex Mahoney and the Middle East Crisis Humanitarian Response Team Led U.S. humanitarian relief efforts in war-torn Syria and parts of Iraq, delivering food, medicine, safe drinking water and other assistance to millions of people in desperate need of help
2017 Winner Surabhi Shah and the Urban Waters Team People's Choice Award Surabhi Shah and the Urban Waters Team Created public-private partnerships to clean up and revitalize urban waterways and surrounding lands, spurring economic development and reversing decades of neglect
2017 Winner Tedd V. Ellerbrock Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Tedd V. Ellerbrock Played a vital role in building, expanding and improving the U.S.-led program that provides medicine and assistance to 11 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS
2016 Winner Kathleen Hogan Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Kathleen Hogan Developed and expanded a series of pivotal national energy efficiency initiatives that have greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and saved American consumers and businesses billions of dollars.
2016 Winner Thomas A. Mariani, Steven O’Rourke and Sarah D. Himmelhoch Safety, Security and International Affairs Thomas A. Mariani, Steven O’Rourke and Sarah D. Himmelhoch Secured a record $20.8 billion legal settlement against BP for the devastating 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, providing funds to help a five-state region recover from massive environmental disaster.
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.
