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.
