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
2018 Finalist Stephen C. Curren and the Cyber Incident Response Team 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
2018 Finalist Matthew Nims and the Food for Peace Team 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
2018 Finalist Hoa Thi Tran, Ph.D. and the Team 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
2018 Finalist Guy Demeter Management Excellence Guy Demeter Developed wide-ranging data management systems that enable FBI analysts to investigate criminal activity and identify threats more quickly
2018 Finalist Tim Schmit Science, Technology and Environment Tim Schmit Developed cutting-edge satellite technology for detecting and monitoring severe weather, helping protect people and property from approaching disasters
2018 Finalist John J. Sammarco, Ph.D. 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
2018 Finalist Judith Lynn Allaire DesHarnais 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
2018 Finalist Gerald Ankley, Ph.D. 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
2018 Finalist Jeffrey Elliott Wood Jr. and the North Shore Gang Task Force 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
2018 Finalist Jordan T. Manos Promising Innovations Medal Jordan T. Manos Improved the system used to assess flood damage from hurricanes and other major storms, helping residents receive aid more quickly and saving the government millions of dollars in appraisal costs
2018 Finalist Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D and Theodore C. Pierson, Ph.D. Promising Innovations Medal Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D and Theodore C. Pierson, Ph.D. Developed a promising vaccine now in clinical testing to prevent the Zika virus, which has caused serious birth defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy
2018 Finalist Soheila J. Maleki, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Soheila J. Maleki, Ph.D. Led life-changing research on the causes, detection, prevention and potential remedies for peanut and tree nut allergies, which affect up to two million American children
2018 Finalist Mark L. Bathrick and the Team 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
2018 Finalist Allen R. Hefner Jr., Ph.D. 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
2018 Finalist Barbara G. Kutchko, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Barbara G. Kutchko, Ph.D. Helped rewrite standards for the use of foamed cement in oil wells, to prevent blowouts and damaging oil spills and to better protect workers and the environment
2018 Finalist Dave Huizenga 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
2018 Finalist Ariel Gold Management Excellence Ariel Gold Improved data-sharing to accelerate the adoption of new technologies that increase transportation safety and efficiency, including self-driving cars and vehicles that communicate with one another
2018 Finalist Andy Neal and the NFIP Reinsurance Program Team Management Excellence Andy Neal and the NFIP Reinsurance Program Team Persuaded private reinsurers for the first time to assume some flood damage liability, saving the National Flood Insurance Program $1 billion in claims in 2017
2018 Finalist Blake Douglas Rowe 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.
