Meet the Sammies Honorees • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals

Evan R. Kwerel, Ph.D.

2021 Winner

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.

Anne Schuchat, M.D.

2021 Finalist

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.

Gregory M. Ruiz, Ph.D.

2021 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Gregory M. Ruiz, Ph.D.

Played a major role over three decades highlighting the environmental harm caused by the marine transport of invasive species, resulting in a federal reporting system, enforcement policies and improved shipboard management practices.

C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.

2021 Finalist

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.

Paul Friday

2021 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Paul Friday

During six decades of federal service, invented, engineered and implemented systems that enabled the Census Bureau to more accurately tabulate and analyze data on paper census forms, speeding the process and saving millions of dollars.

Ira Pastan, M.D.

2020 Winner

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.

Elizabeth J. Warner, Ph.D.

2020 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Elizabeth J. Warner, Ph.D.

Engaged in groundbreaking, evidence-based research for two decades that has led to the adoption of new K-12 teacher training and recruiting practices, improving instruction for students in disadvantaged communities and throughout the nation.

Claire L. Parkinson, Ph.D.

2020 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Claire L. Parkinson, Ph.D.

Conducted cutting-edge scientific research over four decades documenting changes in the ice covers in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans and how they have played a significant role in climate change and adversely affected animal life.

Cecilia M. Coates

2020 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Cecilia M. Coates

Created and runs a state-of-the-art global supply chain management system that provides $10 billion worth of goods and services every year to diplomats and other federal employees serving the United States overseas.

Jon Michael Seward

2020 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Jon Michael Seward

Successfully brought lawsuits for nearly 30 years against banks to ensure that tens of thousands of people living in underserved and minority communities could gain access to credit.

Ann McKee, M.D.

2019 Winner

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

William K. Boyes, Ph.D

2019 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

William K. Boyes, Ph.D

Conducted important research on the harm that commonly used chemicals have on eyesight and the central nervous system, leading to new standards to protect the public from overexposure to these toxic substances

Venkatachalam “Ram” Ramaswamy, Ph.D.

2019 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Venkatachalam “Ram” Ramaswamy, Ph.D.

Developed a state-of-the-art modeling system to enhance understanding and prediction of global climate and provide earlier and more accurate forecasts of severe weather events, helping save lives and property

Michael G. Kozak

2019 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Michael G. Kozak

For nearly five decades, helped shape foreign policy to protect U.S. interests abroad and advance democracy and human rights around the world

Arthur A. Allen

2019 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Arthur A. Allen

Pioneered and perfected a modeling program that predicts where people lost at sea will be found, cutting search and rescue times and saving thousands of lives during a 35-year career

Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, M.D.

2018 Winner

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

John J. Sammarco, Ph.D.

2018 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

John J. Sammarco, Ph.D.

Led game-changing research over three decades that improved lighting in mines, advanced rescue techniques and reduced accidents and injuries

Judith Lynn Allaire DesHarnais

2018 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Judith Lynn Allaire DesHarnais

Directed major flood-protection projects that have saved lives and prevented more than a billion dollars in property damage

Gerald Ankley, Ph.D.

2018 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Gerald Ankley, Ph.D.

For three decades, established techniques and standards to identify dangerous chemicals and prevent them from contaminating America’s lakes and waterways

Allen R. Hefner Jr., Ph.D.

2018 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Allen R. Hefner Jr., Ph.D.

Developed the “Hefner model” for power semiconductor devices that revolutionized manufacturing of power conversion systems that millions of people use today, leading to trillions of dollars in energy savings worldwide

Joseph J. Seebode

2017 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Joseph J. Seebode

Oversaw the $2.1 billion deepening of navigation channels for the Port of New York and New Jersey, as well as restoration and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy and the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Jitender P. Dubey

2017 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Jitender P. Dubey

For more than three decades, has led life-saving research on parasitic diseases that devastate livestock and sicken millions of people around the world

Tedd V. Ellerbrock

2017 Winner

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

Hanwant B. Singh

2017 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Hanwant B. Singh

Pioneered research for more than 30 years that revealed harmful pollutants in the atmosphere, how long they last, how far they travel and their impact on the climate and human health

Kathleen Hogan

2016 Winner

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.

Thomas Gordon Morris

2016 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Thomas Gordon Morris

Overhauled an SBA program that now generates $6 billion in private investments annually to build businesses, create jobs and stimulate the economy at no cost to the federal government.

Hongwei Hsiao

2016 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Hongwei Hsiao

Improved the safety of construction workers, truck drivers, firefighters, police and others in high-risk professions by researching and designing a new generation of personal protective equipment and industrial apparatus.

James McFadden

2016 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

James McFadden

For nearly 50 years, has been the bedrock of the nation’s hurricane hunter program, flying airplanes into hundreds of violent tropical storms to gather information for more accurate weather forecasts.

Allen Wilcox

2016 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Allen Wilcox

Pioneered the epidemiologic study of human reproduction, fundamentally changing both scientific and public understanding of fertility and pregnancy.

Charles E. Milam

2015 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Charles E. Milam

Improved the lives of millions of service members and their families by instituting programs that help deployed soldiers stay in touch with loved ones, and increase health and wellness on military bases.

Robert J. Kavlock

2015 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Robert J. Kavlock

Transformed how the EPA tests the toxicity of industrial and household chemicals, dramatically increasing the number that are assessed for potential health risks, while reducing the cost, time and need for animal studies.

Hyun Soon Lillehoj

2015 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Hyun Soon Lillehoj

Led influential research to decrease the use of antibiotics in commercial poultry, ensure the safety of this popular food and make the U.S. poultry industry more competitive overseas.

E. Ramona Trovato

2014 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

E. Ramona Trovato

Helped transform national environmental health policy by focusing attention on the impact of pollutants on children, and by devising strategies to respond to contamination from a terrorist attack.

Thomas Browne

2014 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Thomas Browne

Transformed drug prevention and addiction treatment programs in 70 countries around the world, providing special care and assistance to women and children.

Edwin Kneedler

2014 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Edwin Kneedler

Argued 125 cases and helped shape the government’s legal position on hundreds more before the Supreme Court, while setting a high standard for integrity and protecting the long-term interests of the United States.

Scott Gerald Borg

2014 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Scott Gerald Borg

Directed a world-class research program in Antarctica that uncovered important scientific discoveries about climate change, the origins of the universe, previously unknown sea life and two new dinosaur species.

Robert A. Canino

2014 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Robert A. Canino

Pioneered the use of civil rights laws to try human trafficking cases when criminal enforcement and labor laws proved ineffective in defending foreign-born and intellectually disabled workers who were abused and exploited.

Philip Rosenfelt

2013 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Philip Rosenfelt

As a federal legal adviser and litigator for more than four decades, improved education and helped ensure equal access to education for all students.

Orice Williams Brown

2013 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Orice Williams Brown

Provided Congress with impartial analysis and oversight regarding the nation’s financial regulatory system, issuing warnings about potential risks and suggesting ways to improve the implementation of new laws and economic recovery programs.

Michael Gottesman

2013 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Michael Gottesman

Throughout a four-decade career, led seminal studies in the treatment of drug-resistant cancer cells and played an instrumental role in improving the rigor of medical research.

Mark DeMaria

2013 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Mark DeMaria

Pioneered models to better forecast the path and intensity of hurricanes during the past three decades to help communities and first responders prepare for the severe storms, saving countless lives, homes and businesses.

William J. Borucki

2013 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

William J. Borucki

Led the design and operation of NASA’s Kepler space mission which discovered Earth-like planets as far as 1,200 light years away, adding an impressive capstone on a 50-year career that began with the Apollo program.

James Cash

2012 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

James Cash

For nearly three decades, has used his engineering expertise to extract information from airplane cockpit recorders and other devices to determine the causes of major transportation accidents.

H. Allen Dobbs

2012 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

H. Allen Dobbs

Significantly improved the way disaster victims receive health care by creating electronic systems to track those receiving treatment, quickly assign emergency medical teams and assess emerging threats and resource needs.

Patricia Hayes

2012 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Patricia Hayes

Spent a career breaking barriers and advancing the health-care needs of women in a male-dominated veterans health-care system.

Sharon W. Bryson

2011 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Sharon W. Bryson

Provides assistance and comfort to traumatized survivors and family members of those killed in aircraft accidents and other transportation disasters.

Alfonso Batres

2011 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Alfonso Batres

Devoted his career to building a national network of small, community-based centers where veterans traumatized by combat obtain counseling, job assistance, medical referrals and other services.

Matthew J. Friedman

2011 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Matthew J. Friedman

A pioneer in the field of traumatic stress disorders, who studied, treated and advocated for people psychologically affected by war or other tragedies.

Lawrence Deyton

2011 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Lawrence Deyton

Spent three decades improving public health and treating veterans, pioneering ways to fight AIDS, hepatitis C and emerging health threats, and now leading the effort to reduce tobacco-related disease and death.

Neal B. Brown

2011 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Neal B. Brown

Helped transform mental health care in the U.S., moving people out of institutions and into community-based care, and giving mental health consumers and their families a voice in treatment options.

Peter Wilhelm

2010 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Peter Wilhelm

Developed and deployed 95 satellites, pioneering significant advances from lunar exploration to GPS to global weather forecasting.

Sue Ellen Walbridge

2010 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Sue Ellen Walbridge

Helping improve America’s global competitiveness by encouraging more than 300,000 students to consider careers in math and science.

Ronald Sanders

2010 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Ronald Sanders

Led major organizational and personnel reforms in critical areas of the federal government that contributed to greater interagency cooperation, and better service and accountability to the American people.

Joseph T. Schaefer

2010 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Joseph T. Schaefer

Responsible for creating state-of-the-art systems to better predict and provide earlier forecasts and warnings of tornadoes, saving thousands of American lives every year.

David Leckrone

2009 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

David Leckrone

Served nearly two decades as lead scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, which is widely recognized as the most successful scientific mission in NASA history.

Susan Solomon

2010 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Susan Solomon

Led internationally acclaimed atmospheric research that set us on a path to restoring the ozone layer and demonstrated the long-term harm to the environment caused by global warming.

Fran Ligler

2009 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Fran Ligler

Invented and developed various sensor systems that are diagnosing infectious diseases in developing countries, monitoring the air for biothreat agents and supporting clean-up efforts at Superfund sites.

Carol D. Shull

2008 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Carol D. Shull

Led the expansion of the National Register of Historic Places to include well over a million properties, recognizing and helping to preserve sites of cultural significance.

Cynthia Bascetta

2008 Finalist

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Cynthia Bascetta

Providing authoritative advice and analysis to Congress and the general public to improve the quality of health care in America.

Stephen O. Andersen

2008 Winner

Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement

Stephen O. Andersen

Played a key role in implementing the landmark Montreal Protocol which has put us on a path to restoring the ozone layer by phasing out 95 percent of the world’s ozone-depleting substances and is leading current federal efforts to combat climate change.