Thomas Debass 2020 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Thomas Debass Created public-private partnerships to advance America’s foreign policy interests while promoting economic growth and entrepreneurship in developing nations across the globe.
Lina Alathari, Ph.D. 2020 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Lina Alathari, Ph.D. Developed threat assessment guidelines and worked with law enforcement, educators and local communities to intervene and prevent possible mass shootings in schools, workplaces and public spaces.
Donna F. Dodson 2020 Finalist 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.
Christopher M. Janczewski, Zia M. Faruqui, Kimberly A. Reece and the W2V Team 2020 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Christopher M. Janczewski, Zia M. Faruqui, Kimberly A. Reece and the W2V Team Led an international criminal investigation of the largest dark web child pornography site that accepted cryptocurrency to cloak more than one million video downloads, resulting in the arrest of the operator, more than 330 users and the rescue of 25 exploited children.
John M. Melle, María L. Pagán and Team 2020 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs John M. Melle, María L. Pagán and Team Coordinated complex negotiations with Mexico and Canada, resulting in a $1.3 trillion trade agreement overwhelmingly approved by Congress that touches almost every aspect of the U.S. economy.
Thomas W. Prevoznik, Joseph Beemsterboer, Gary Cantrell and the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force team 2020 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Thomas W. Prevoznik, Joseph Beemsterboer, Gary Cantrell and the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force team Investigated and arrested 73 health care professionals and other individuals in six states for the unlawful distribution of 40 million medically unnecessary pain pills, helping address the deadly nationwide opioid epidemic.
Ryan Shelby, Ph.D. 2019 Winner 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
Jamie Rhome 2019 Winner 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
John P. Wagner 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs John P. Wagner Implemented facial recognition systems that simplify and fortify airport security, helping travelers reach their destinations faster while stopping suspected terrorists and others attempting to enter and leave the U.S. using false documents
Kurt Yankaskas 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Kurt Yankaskas Identified and implemented solutions to combat noise-induced hearing loss, which affects hundreds of thousands of sailors and Marines, and costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year in treatments for veterans
Emily Joy Haas, Ph.D. 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Emily Joy Haas, Ph.D. Improved the health and safety of our nation’s mine workers by using behavioral science to influence the adoption of new technologies and practices that reduce their exposure to known hazards
Emily Banuelos and the Taxiway Tango Tiger Team 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Emily Banuelos and the Taxiway Tango Tiger Team Designed and implemented enhanced surveillance technology that warns when commercial aircraft are lined up to land on a taxiway instead of the intended runway, averting the potential for catastrophic accidents
James McWhirter, Mark W. Pletcher and the Navy Bribery Scandal Team 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs James McWhirter, Mark W. Pletcher and the Navy Bribery Scandal Team Uncovered and prosecuted the largest bribery and corruption scandal in the history of the U.S. Navy, resulting in dozens of federal criminal convictions and sanctions against numerous Navy officers
Kara L. De Castro 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Kara L. De Castro Led pivotal international programs to convert weapons-grade nuclear materials for civilian use and enhanced security cultures to guard against their mishandling and misuse
Leticia Pibida, Ph.D. 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Leticia Pibida, Ph.D. Strengthened our nation’s defenses against nuclear and radioactive threats by developing performance standards and tests for detection systems that screen nearly 7 million cargo containers entering U.S. seaports every year
Kristen P. Finne 2019 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Kristen P. Finne Developed a system for first responders to quickly locate and assist 4.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who rely on electricity-dependent medical equipment and are at risk during prolonged power outages
Karen D. Dodge, Margaret Moeser and the Teams 2018 Winner 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
Andrew M. Herscowitz and the Power Africa Team 2018 Winner 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
Stephen C. Curren and the Cyber Incident Response Team 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Stephen C. Curren and the Cyber Incident Response Team Defended health care computer systems in the U.S. from a global cyberattack that threatened patients’ health and safety
Matthew Nims and the Food for Peace Team 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Matthew Nims and the Food for Peace Team Distributed $1.4 billion in emergency food assistance to 20 million people in four nations fighting famine and threatened by violent conflicts, saving countless lives under harrowing conditions
Hoa Thi Tran, Ph.D. and the Team 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Hoa Thi Tran, Ph.D. and the Team Delivered emergency humanitarian relief to nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled violent persecution in Burma to find safe haven in neighboring Bangladesh
Jeffrey Elliott Wood Jr. and the North Shore Gang Task Force 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Jeffrey Elliott Wood Jr. and the North Shore Gang Task Force Led a record takedown of the notorious MS-13 gang, arresting more than 60 leaders and members of this criminal organization in the Boston region
Mark L. Bathrick and the Team 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Mark L. Bathrick and the Team Built the largest civilian aerial drone fleet to help federal agencies fight forest fires, inspect infrastructure, monitor wildlife and natural resources, halt pollution, and conduct search and rescue operations
Dave Huizenga 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Dave Huizenga Managed numerous high-profile projects with foreign governments to secure large quantities of weapons-useable nuclear materials and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands
Timothy P. Camus and the IRS Impersonation Scam Team 2017 Winner 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
Alex Mahoney and the Middle East Crisis Humanitarian Response Team 2017 Winner 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
Jon R. Smibert 2017 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Jon R. Smibert Helped Albania revise its constitution and reform its criminal justice system to rid the country of decades of corruption and organized crime, and set a path for this strategic U.S. ally to gain membership in the European Union
Nat Wood and the IdentityTheft.gov Development Team 2017 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Nat Wood and the IdentityTheft.gov Development Team Created an easy-to-use online resource to help victims of identity theft quickly report the crime, stop additional fraudulent activity and begin the recovery process
Vincent Tang and the SIGMA Team 2017 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Vincent Tang and the SIGMA Team Developed an innovative, mobile and low-cost system to detect the smallest traces of radiological and nuclear materials, offering cities worldwide a new tool to identify and stop terror threats
Bryan Drake and the Fata Investigation Team 2017 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Bryan Drake and the Fata Investigation Team Investigated and prosecuted a doctor who is now serving a 45-year prison sentence for giving false diagnoses and unnecessary cancer treatments to hundreds of patients in order to steal millions from Medicare
Blake Douglas Rowe 2018 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Blake Douglas Rowe Established sophisticated forensic exploitation laboratories to investigate terrorist activities, contributing to thousands of convictions and thwarting attempts to attack Americans overseas and in the U.S.
Mark Skoog 2017 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Mark Skoog Spearheaded the development of a revolutionary flight control system the Air Force uses to prevent ground collisions when pilots become disoriented or lose consciousness, saving lives and the loss of fighter jets
Thomas A. Mariani, Steven O’Rourke and Sarah D. Himmelhoch 2016 Winner 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.
John Pallister and the Volcano Disaster Assistance Team 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs John Pallister and the Volcano Disaster Assistance Team Strengthened volcano readiness and warning systems worldwide, helping countries forecast eruptions, save lives and reduce economic losses while enhancing America’s ability to respond to domestic volcanoes.
Richard May 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Richard May Employed underutilized authorities to expose drug cartels, transnational criminal organizations and others who launder money in the U.S. through high-end real estate, fashion and electronics transactions.
Kirk Yeager 2016 Winner Safety, Security and International Affairs Kirk Yeager As the FBI’s premier bomb expert, leads U.S. and foreign law enforcement to determine how terrorist-made explosives work, and finds new ways to detect and stop them.
Carrie Stokes 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Carrie Stokes Helped USAID make better decisions about its economic and humanitarian assistance in developing countries by championing the use of satellite data and geographic information to combat poverty, disease and natural disasters.
Anne Barker Dunn and the Veterans Justice Program Team 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Anne Barker Dunn and the Veterans Justice Program Team Reduced recidivism among veterans caught up in the criminal justice system, and lowered their chances of becoming homeless by providing housing, job counseling, and mental health and drug treatment services.
Ajay Bhatt and the Operation No Safe Haven Team 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Ajay Bhatt and the Operation No Safe Haven Team Tracked down 70 human rights violators living illegally in the United States and coordinated their removal to face justice for crimes including murder, torture and ethnic cleansing.
Natasha M. de Marcken 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Natasha M. de Marcken Spearheaded a new strategy to improve the quality of education in developing nations, shifting the focus from simply getting children into schools to teaching them to read.
Rob Thayer and the Syria Emergency Food Assistance Team 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Rob Thayer and the Syria Emergency Food Assistance Team Delivered life-saving food assistance to millions of people within war-torn Syria and to refugees who fled to neighboring countries.
Mia Beers and the U.S. Ebola Disaster Assistance Response Team 2015 Winner Safety, Security and International Affairs Mia Beers and the U.S. Ebola Disaster Assistance Response Team Led a team of U.S. responders who risked their own health to coordinate personnel from five federal agencies and helped turn the tide on the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa.
John B. Price 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs John B. Price Created a device to find living disaster victims buried beneath the wreckage of toppled buildings by adapting radar-based space technology in partnership with NASA scientists.
Daniel Patt 2016 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Daniel Patt Developed a cutting-edge system that allows U.S. warfighters to strike their intended targets faster and with greater accuracy, while helping to protect American troops and innocent civilians.
Peter A. Morrison and the U.S. Navy Solid State Laser Team 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Peter A. Morrison and the U.S. Navy Solid State Laser Team Provided the U.S. Navy with a new defense system by designing, building and testing the first-ever laser weapon to be approved for combat operations aboard a Navy ship.
Anna M. Dozier 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Anna M. Dozier Protected and recovered millions of dollars in assets for American workers and their families, skillfully investigating misconduct by fiduciaries of private retirement, health and welfare plans.
Timothy A. Blades, Paul S. Gilmour and the Team 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Timothy A. Blades, Paul S. Gilmour and the Team Led an interagency team to destroy Syria’s lethal chemical weapons at sea, a first in the history of chemical demilitarization.
Ron Ross 2015 Winner Safety, Security and International Affairs Ron Ross Instituted a state-of-the-art risk assessment system that has protected federal computer networks from cyberattacks and helped secure information critical to our national and economic security.
Robert Bunge, Michael Gerber and the Wireless Alerts Team 2015 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Robert Bunge, Michael Gerber and the Wireless Alerts Team Saved countless lives by developing a fast and geographically targeted cell phone alert system for weather emergencies such as tornadoes and flash floods.
Jonathan Gandomi 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Jonathan Gandomi Coordinated U.S. efforts to end the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army, one of Africa’s oldest and most brutal extremist groups, and help victims overcome decades of violence.
Jill Boezwinkle 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Jill Boezwinkle Guided a U.S. initiative to provide safe drinking water to 5 million people in Kenya and Uganda, saving lives and preventing illnesses for thousands of individuals.
Anthony Regalbuto 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Anthony Regalbuto Assessed the vulnerabilities of hundreds of marine facilities and created comprehensive security plans for domestic and international shipping ports to guard against terrorist attacks.
Gilbert Bindewald, Alice Lippert and Patrick Willging 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Gilbert Bindewald, Alice Lippert and Patrick Willging Helped government authorities and power companies deliver emergency services and restore electricity following widespread natural disasters by creating critical information-sharing and assessment tools.
Sean Young and Benjamin Tran 2014 Winner Safety, Security and International Affairs Sean Young and Benjamin Tran Saved U.S. soldiers’ lives in Afghanistan by creating and deploying a new aerial sensor system to help Army and Special Forces units detect and destroy deadly improvised explosive devices.
R. Patrick DeGroodt 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs R. Patrick DeGroodt Helped America’s warfighters achieve mission success and stay out of harm’s way by developing and deploying a new mobile communications network that gives Army units continuous connectivity on the battlefield.
Omar Pérez Aybar, Reginald J. France, Joseph Beemsterboer and the Miami HEAT Teams 2014 Winner Safety, Security and International Affairs Omar Pérez Aybar, Reginald J. France, Joseph Beemsterboer and the Miami HEAT Teams Led hundreds of Medicare fraud investigations that have resulted in nearly 700 convictions in South Florida, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars and providing an investigative roadmap for other jurisdictions to follow.
Susan Hanson 2014 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Susan Hanson Brought to justice four prison guards who brutally beat and murdered an inmate, and exposed a culture of abuse in Alabama prisons.
Erica Keen Thomas and the China Air Monitoring Team 2013 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Erica Keen Thomas and the China Air Monitoring Team Collected and publicly shared data that revealed dangerous air pollution levels in Chinese cities, increasing public awareness of the health risks and causing the Chinese government to confront the issue.
Cara Christie and the USAID Horn Drought Response Team 2013 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Cara Christie and the USAID Horn Drought Response Team Identified a looming humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa and coordinated a complex U.S. relief effort to help millions of people who faced starvation and death due to the worst drought in six decades.
Michelle Colby and the Vaccine Development Team 2013 Finalist Safety, Security and International Affairs Michelle Colby and the Vaccine Development Team Following the loss of millions of farm animals throughout England in 2001, developed a new, safer vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease to protect America’s livestock industry and prevent harm to our national economy.
