2020 Winner Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Federal Employee of the Year Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Served as the government’s premier expert and spokesperson on infectious diseases during six presidencies, including taking a prominent role in seeking to protect the public from the highly contagious and deadly new coronavirus that swept through the country and the world in 2020.
2020 Winner Ira Pastan, M.D. 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.
2020 Winner Beth Ripley, M.D., Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Beth Ripley, M.D., Ph.D. Created an interconnected, hospital-based 3D printing network that is assisting health care providers with medical procedures, reducing unnecessary surgeries and helping improve quality of life for veterans.
2020 Winner Neil C. Evans, M.D., Kathleen L. Frisbee, Ph.D., Kevin Galpin, M.D. Management Excellence Neil C. Evans, M.D., Kathleen L. Frisbee, Ph.D., Kevin Galpin, M.D. Developed vital telehealth options, mobile apps and digital services for veterans to receive health care virtually, while removing barriers to implementation through policy, regulatory and administrative changes.
2020 Winner Donna F. Dodson 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.
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 Winner Corvelli A. McDaniel, Lorraine Cole, Ph.D. People's Choice Award Corvelli A. McDaniel, Lorraine Cole, Ph.D. Created an innovative program for large commercial financial institutions to provide management and technical assistance to help small and minority-owned banks strengthen their balance sheets and better serve low-income communities.
2020 Finalist Thomas Debass 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.
2020 Finalist Lina Alathari, Ph.D. 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.
2020 Finalist J. Christopher Mihm Management Excellence J. Christopher Mihm Provided Congress and the executive branch with nonpartisan, fact-based information and recommendations to curb tens of billions of dollars in fraud, waste and abuse, and improve federal agency performance.
2020 Finalist David E. Gray Management Excellence David E. Gray Expertly managed the government’s transition of the National Airspace System from ground-based radar to satellite tracking of aircraft, making flying safer and more efficient.
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 Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Championed the conservation and recovery efforts for the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, helping save the species from extinction by protecting and preserving the nests at Padre Island National Seashore.
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 Christopher M. Janczewski, Zia M. Faruqui, Kimberly A. Reece and the W2V Team 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.
2020 Finalist Elizabeth J. Warner, Ph.D. 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.
2020 Finalist Nancy J. Sullivan, Ph.D. Science, Technology and Environment Nancy J. Sullivan, Ph.D. Developed a highly effective medication for the deadly Ebola virus now awaiting federal approval, providing the ability to treat patients with this highly contagious disease that has ravaged African countries.
2020 Finalist John M. Melle, María L. Pagán and team 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.
2020 Finalist John F. Tisdale, M.D., Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. and the Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics team Science, Technology and Environment John F. Tisdale, M.D., Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. and the Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics team Pioneered innovative research that could lead to a cure for sickle cell disease, an illness that affects more than 20 million people worldwide.
2020 Finalist Matthew C. Eanes Management Excellence Matthew C. Eanes Helped lead the government’s efforts to shrink the enormous backlog of federal background investigations and designed the most comprehensive reform of the process in 60 years.
2020 Finalist Thomas W. Prevoznik, Joseph Beemsterboer, Gary Cantrell and the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force team 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.
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.
2020 Finalist Peter A. Briss, M.D. and the 2019 Lung Injury Response team Science, Technology and Environment Peter A. Briss, M.D. and the 2019 Lung Injury Response team Identified the chemical compound in vaping products that caused life-threatening lung injuries among young adults, communicating the danger to public health and saving lives.
2020 Finalist Claire L. Parkinson, Ph.D. 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.
2020 Finalist Cecilia M. Coates 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.
2020 Finalist Jon Michael Seward 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.
