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.
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.
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.
2023 Finalist Mark V. Ingram Emerging Leaders Mark V. Ingram Developed and launched the main innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, improving pilot safety, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and strengthening our national defense.
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.
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.
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 Lori Vislocky Emerging Leaders Lori Vislocky Developed and implemented a new system that enables authorities to quickly identify foreigners who pose a threat to national security or public safety before they travel to the United States.
2022 Finalist Mark Williams, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders Mark Williams, Ph.D. Documented how agricultural runoff containing nitrogen and phosphorous used in fertilizers migrate into and pollute waterways, prompting new farming conservation practices to protect the environment.
2022 Finalist Samantha Sutton Emerging Leaders Samantha Sutton Played an important behind-the-scenes role across three presidential administrations as an adviser on U.S. policy toward Israel and the Palestinians.
2021 Finalist Edward Sisco, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders Edward Sisco, Ph.D. Devised a new method for crime laboratories to identify opioids and other drugs more quickly and safely, providing critical information to law enforcement while protecting lab employees from dangerous substances.
2021 Finalist William Hart-Cooper, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders William Hart-Cooper, Ph.D. Created novel formulations for disinfectants and packaging that break down into harmless substances after use, protecting human health and reducing environmental pollution.
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 Finalist Monica Ager Jacobsen Emerging Leaders Monica Ager Jacobsen Played a crucial behind-the-scenes role shaping the complex legal and policy issues involved in imposing sanctions against dozens of human rights abusers worldwide.
2020 Finalist Andrew Laurence, Ph.D., Shannon Ferguson, Ph.D. Emerging Leaders Andrew Laurence, Ph.D., Shannon Ferguson, Ph.D. Provided critical information to help law enforcement solve hundreds of drug smuggling cases and other crimes by analyzing microscopic pollen grains to determine where drugs were produced, and the routes taken, as well as the travel histories of crime victims.
2020 Finalist Chihoon Shin Emerging Leaders Chihoon Shin Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on helicopter safety, having investigated numerous crashes and made important recommendations to prevent future mishaps and save lives.
2020 Finalist Mark Andrew Braza and the Aircraft Carrier Refueling Complex Overhaul Cost Reduction Team Emerging Leaders Mark Andrew Braza and the Aircraft Carrier Refueling Complex Overhaul Cost Reduction Team Led the planning and contracting for the multibillion-dollar overhaul of the USS John C. Stennis, saving tens of millions of dollars and ensuring the nuclear aircraft carrier will play a critical national security role for the next 25 years.
2016 Finalist Lilia McFarland Emerging Leaders Lilia McFarland Led an interagency initiative to help build the next generation of farmers and ranchers, creating a strategy for easing access to critical federal resources and improving customer service.
2016 Finalist Jessica Hall Zomer Emerging Leaders Jessica Hall Zomer Helped craft and served as chief legal advisor on a major power plant regulation that will eliminate one-third of toxic heavy metals now dumped into the nation’s rivers, lakes and streams by regulated industries.
2016 Finalist Jenn Gustetic Emerging Leaders Jenn Gustetic Tapped into citizen knowledge and expertise to solve pressing national problems by promoting the use of crowdsourcing, challenges and prizes across government.
2016 Winner Tate Jarrow Emerging Leaders Tate Jarrow Played a critical role in two huge cybercrime investigations, helping bring to justice individuals involved in computer hacking, stock manipulation, credit card fraud, money laundering and other illicit activities.
2016 Finalist Catherine Michelle Pappas Emerging Leaders Catherine Michelle Pappas Provided rapid analysis and advice to military commanders and policymakers regarding adversarial activity in Eastern Europe and the Middle East during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions.
2015 Winner Adam R. Schildge Emerging Leaders Adam R. Schildge Developed and implemented a multi-billion dollar grant program after Hurricane Sandy to make public transportation systems more resilient against future natural disasters.
2015 Finalist Bridget Lynn Roddy Emerging Leaders Bridget Lynn Roddy Engaged a growing number of college students who contribute new skills, ideas and energy to assist diplomatic and international development programs around the world while working remotely from any location.
2015 Finalist Stephanie L. Hogan Emerging Leaders Stephanie L. Hogan Protected citizens from dangerous power plant emissions that blow across state lines by leading the EPA’s legal defense of its interstate air pollution rule.
2014 Finalist Anthony Cotton, Amanda Femal, Jason Fleming and the DCA Transaction Teams Emerging Leaders Anthony Cotton, Amanda Femal, Jason Fleming and the DCA Transaction Teams Generated nearly $1 billion in aid for 60 projects in 42 developing countries during the past two years through an innovative, public–private loan guarantee program.
2014 Finalist Sofia Hussain Emerging Leaders Sofia Hussain Helped federal investigators crack intricate securities fraud cases and return hundreds of millions of dollars to investors by introducing cutting-edge technology and data analysis.
2015 Finalist Gretchen K. Campbell Emerging Leaders Gretchen K. Campbell Advanced the emerging field of physics known as atomtronics, paving the way for a new generation of technologies much like electronics has transformed our society today.
2014 Finalist Miguel O. Román Emerging Leaders Miguel O. Román Provided timely and reliable information on wildfires, storm damage and global energy consumption to help scientists and policymakers better understand and respond to natural disasters and climate change.
2014 Finalist Jonathan Baker Emerging Leaders Jonathan Baker Saved taxpayers more than $4 billion on the purchase of 40 new rockets and led the engineering team responsible for launching 13 Air Force satellites into orbit.
2014 Winner Sara Meyers Emerging Leaders Sara Meyers Created a sophisticated data analysis system to evaluate the performance of federal housing programs, and set up processes to track $13.6 billion in economic stimulus and $50 billion for Hurricane Sandy disaster recovery.
2013 Winner Andrew Rabens Emerging Leaders Andrew Rabens Led an initiative to engage young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa to share ideas and learn about American democracy.
2013 Finalist Manan Vyas Emerging Leaders Manan Vyas Advanced the national goal of developing hypersonic aircraft engines, the last frontier of aeronautics, through innovative testing and scientific analysis.
2013 Finalist David Vollman Emerging Leaders David Vollman Gathered, organized and analyzed data on cataract surgery results to improve medical practices and outcomes for patients.
2012 Finalist Shane Morris Emerging Leaders Shane Morris Ensured U.S. diplomats in the Middle East could securely dispatch and receive classified documents and equipment during the Arab Spring uprisings.
2012 Finalist Deborah Temkin Emerging Leaders Deborah Temkin Leads the government-wide campaign against bullying, working to educate school districts and governments at all levels on what they can do to protect young people from this painful and sometimes fatal problem.
2011 Finalist Mary Pletcher Emerging Leaders Mary Pletcher Awarded and tracked $2.9 billion in Interior Department economic stimulus funds, providing thousands of jobs while preserving our country’s treasured public lands.
2011 Finalist Oliver P. Fischer Emerging Leaders Oliver P. Fischer To ensure that a historic independence vote was fair and peaceful, helped develop and conduct a critical population and housing census, and mediated local tribal conflicts in remote and dangerous parts of Southern Sudan.
2012 Winner Jacob M. Taylor Emerging Leaders Jacob M. Taylor Came up with an original scientific theory that could lead to medical imaging in microscopic detail for better health care, while also developing innovative technology to allow greater quantities of data to speed across the Internet with less energy and at lower cost.
2011 Finalist Katherine Antos Emerging Leaders Katherine Antos Led the creation and evaluation of state plans to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary, and one of the planet’s first identified “marine dead zones.”
2010 Finalist Mark Simakovsky Emerging Leaders Mark Simakovsky Instrumental in shaping the Defense Department’s response to the Russia-Georgia War in 2008, while facilitating efforts to prevent further instability and promote U.S. interests in the region.
2011 Winner Ann S. Martin Emerging Leaders Ann S. Martin Worked with Mexican officials to study cross-border currency flows and help disrupt the laundering of billions of dollars derived from illicit U.S. drug sales.
2010 Finalist Till Rosenband Emerging Leaders Till Rosenband Invented the world’s most precise timekeeping device, an entirely new type of atomic clock based on quantum computing research.
2010 Winner Saskia van Gendt Emerging Leaders Saskia van Gendt Fostering a new breed of environmentally-friendly construction and packaging materials that promote reuse, cut down on waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2009 Finalist Kristen Taddonio Emerging Leaders Kristen Taddonio Created a unique industry-government alliance that is accelerating adoption of greener technologies.
2009 Winner Clare D. Rowley Emerging Leaders Clare D. Rowley Helped thousands stay in their homes by working to implement IndyMac’s mortgage modification program after the bank failed, and advised the Obama administration’s efforts to reduce foreclosures.
2009 Finalist Jared Summers Emerging Leaders Jared Summers Reduced costs for our government by $200 million through his successful leadership of the disposition of the retired F-117 fleet.
2009 Finalist Ian B. Spielman Emerging Leaders Ian B. Spielman Pioneered a new area of research that is helping scientists understand crucial, but currently intractable, mysteries of physics like the explanation of high-temperature superconductivity.
2010 Finalist P. Ryan Jackson Emerging Leaders P. Ryan Jackson Ensured that a planned massive fish kill, intended to stop the invasive Asian carp from migrating into and damaging the Great Lakes’ ecosystem, would not have harmful effects on the environment.
2009 Finalist Cara Peck Emerging Leaders Cara Peck Helped urban areas improve the way they process food waste, promoting new efficiencies and ways to use refuse as a source of renewable energy.
2008 Winner Alain D. Carballeyra Emerging Leaders Alain D. Carballeyra Introducing cutting edge 3-D technology to improve medical care and rehabilitation, and helping restore quality of life for soldiers that have suffered traumatic battle injuries.
2008 Finalist Joshua R. Fairley and the Team Emerging Leaders Joshua R. Fairley and the Team Led the development of new technology to improve the accuracy of improvised explosive device (IED) detection by 75 percent.
2008 Finalist Joshua Pomeroy Emerging Leaders Joshua Pomeroy Developed breakthrough technology that enhances our ability to read microchips, which will lead to further miniaturization in data storage.
2008 Finalist Patricia Frounfelker Emerging Leaders Patricia Frounfelker Discovered hazards associated with reactive armor that have prompted safety improvements for U.S. soldiers.
2007 Finalist Markus Garlauskas Emerging Leaders Markus Garlauskas Rose to become one of the United States’ senior intelligence officials on the Korean peninsula by the age of 28.
2007 Finalist Myroslava Gongadze Emerging Leaders Myroslava Gongadze Serves as the leading spokesperson for democratic values in Ukraine, helping to move the nation in a more pro-western direction.
2007 Finalist Brian Waud Emerging Leaders Brian Waud Led effort in Russia to successfully secure and dispose of enough radiological material to build 2,300 dirty bombs.
2007 Winner Nicole Faison Emerging Leaders Nicole Faison Created income verification program that eliminated more than $2 billion in fraudulent payments by HUD’s rental assistance programs.
2007 Finalist Konrad Lehnert Emerging Leaders Konrad Lehnert Conducted groundbreaking research to use quantum mechanics to improve measurement science.
2006 Finalist Matthew D. Lowe Emerging Leaders Matthew D. Lowe Played critical role in laying the groundwork for the historic agreement between the United State and India on nuclear energy.
