2014 Winner Sean Young and Benjamin Tran 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.
2014 Winner William A. Bauman and Ann M. Spungen Science, Technology and Environment William A. Bauman and Ann M. Spungen Greatly improved the health care and the quality of life of paralyzed veterans by developing new ways to treat long-overlooked medical problems.
2014 Finalist Richard Rast Science, Technology and Environment Richard Rast Developed a new, low-cost method of locating and tracking space debris that could severely damage or destroy spacecraft and vital communications, navigation and weather satellites.
2014 Finalist William Charmley and James Tamm Science, Technology and Environment William Charmley and James Tamm Led an interagency team that developed standards for cars and light trucks that will double fuel economy by 2025 and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6 billion metric tons.
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.
2015 Winner Steven A. Rosenberg Federal Employee of the Year Steven A. Rosenberg Developed life-saving treatments for millions of cancer patients, pioneering the use of the body’s immune system and genetically engineered anti-tumor cells to fight the disease.
2015 Winner Hyun Soon Lillehoj 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.
2014 Finalist R. Patrick DeGroodt 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.
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 Winner Omar Pérez Aybar, Reginald J. France, Joseph Beemsterboer and the Miami HEAT Teams 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.
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 Finalist Susan Hanson 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.
2013 Finalist Erica Keen Thomas and the China Air Monitoring Team 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.
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.
2014 Finalist E. Ramona Trovato 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.
2014 Finalist Thomas Browne 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.
2014 Winner Edwin Kneedler 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.
2013 Finalist Josh Silverman Science, Technology and Environment Josh Silverman Discovered and led efforts to halt the release of more than one million tons of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas from Energy Department facilities.
2013 Winner David Lavery and the Mars Science Laboratory Team Science, Technology and Environment David Lavery and the Mars Science Laboratory Team Led the Curiosity rover mission to Mars that is exploring the Red Planet’s geology and climate, and assessing whether conditions are favorable for microbial life and future human exploration.
2013 Finalist Cara Christie and the USAID Horn Drought Response Team 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.
2013 Finalist Harry Haskins and the Team Management Excellence Harry Haskins and the Team Revitalized a faltering small business investment program, putting billions of dollars in the hands of entrepreneurs who have created thousands of jobs since 2009.
2013 Winner Kevin T. Geiss Management Excellence Kevin T. Geiss Championed the safe use of alternative fuels to ensure energy independence for combat and support missions around the globe and reduced U.S. Air Force fuel and energy consumption, saving more than $1 billion in 2012 alone.
2013 Finalist Michelle Colby and the Vaccine Development Team 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.
2013 Finalist Charles Addington Safety, Security and International Affairs Charles Addington Developed and implemented an innovative law enforcement program that reduced the high violent crime rate on four Indian reservations by 35 percent, providing a model for other Native American communities.
2013 Finalist Terence V. Milholland Citizen Services Terence V. Milholland Overhauled IRS’ information technology and tax processing systems, leading to quicker refunds and notices to taxpayers, reduced fraud and better internal management.
2013 Finalist Martha Dorris Citizen Services Martha Dorris Delivered timely information on federal programs and services and engaged citizens with our government through the use of web portals, social media, crowdsourcing tools and a powerful search engine.
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.
2014 Finalist Scott Gerald Borg 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.
2013 Winner Antonio J. Mendez Antonio J. Mendez Participated in some of the most harrowing Cold War spy and human intelligence operations, helped bring cooperating foreign agents out from behind the Iron Curtain and rescued Americans trapped in Tehran as portrayed in the Hollywood thriller Argo.
2013 Finalist Kenneth J. Linthicum Safety, Security and International Affairs Kenneth J. Linthicum Developed techniques to predict outbreaks of insect-borne illnesses and protect livestock and humans, including military personnel, from debilitating and life-threatening disease.
2013 Finalist Claire Votaw Management Excellence Claire Votaw Developed a shared IT network for American embassies and federal agencies operating overseas, saving money and reducing duplication.
2013 Finalist Margaret Focarino and the Team Management Excellence Margaret Focarino and the Team Led bold reforms that dramatically improved the speed and quality of patent examinations and approvals, helping incentivize new technologies and spur economic growth.
2014 Finalist Robert A. Canino 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.
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 Paul D. Jablonski Science, Technology and Environment Paul D. Jablonski Revolutionized coronary stent technology by developing a new platinum-chromium alloy that makes the device thinner, more flexible and visible by x-ray.
2013 Finalist Seamus McElearney and the C-38 Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Seamus McElearney and the C-38 Team Led lengthy undercover investigations that have severely disrupted two of New York’s notorious and violent organized crime families.
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.
2013 Finalist Dave Broomell Citizen Services Dave Broomell Developed a number of technology innovations that have improved Social Security’s customer service and employee efficiency.
2013 Winner John MacKinnon and the Operation Holitna Team Safety, Security and International Affairs John MacKinnon and the Operation Holitna Team Rescued more than 167 victims of child pornography and developed new forensic investigatory techniques to track down the predators that abuse them, resulting in 54 arrests since 2010.
2013 Finalist Nora D. Volkow Science, Technology and Environment Nora D. Volkow Demonstrated that drug addiction is a disease that changes brain function and created new strategies for treating patients with substance abuse issues.
2013 Winner Daniel Madrzykowski Citizen Services Daniel Madrzykowski Dramatically improved firefighting practices by conducting and sharing sophisticated research that has saved firefighters’ lives and protected property across the nation.
2014 Winner Rana Hajjeh and the Hib Initiative Team Federal Employee of the Year Rana Hajjeh and the Hib Initiative Team Led a global campaign to convince some of the world’s poorest countries to use a vaccine to fight bacterial meningitis and pneumonia, an initiative that is estimated to save the lives of 7 million children by 2020.
2013 Winner Hamid Jafari Safety, Security and International Affairs Hamid Jafari Directed the global initiative that eradicated polio in India and is leading the effort to eliminate this crippling and potentially fatal disease in the final three countries where it persists.
2013 Finalist J. Todd Weber and the CDC Multistate Response Team Citizen Services J. Todd Weber and the CDC Multistate Response Team Quickly identified contaminated medicine as the cause of a major meningitis outbreak in 2012, and led the national public health response.
2013 Finalist Stephen E. Richardson and the Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Stephen E. Richardson and the Team Led a team of FBI agents and Alabama police that saved the life of a five-year-old boy who was kidnapped and held hostage by an armed killer for six terrifying days in an underground bunker.
2013 Finalist Philip Rosenfelt 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.
2013 Winner Orice Williams Brown 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.
2012 Finalist Joyce Connery Safety, Security and International Affairs Joyce Connery Helped organize an international summit that reduced and secured vast amounts of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, and that outlined additional steps to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists.
2012 Finalist Richard Boly Safety, Security and International Affairs Richard Boly Created innovative social media and online platforms for State Department employees around the world to collaborate, share information and connect with important outside audiences.
2012 Finalist Michelle Bernier-Toth Safety, Security and International Affairs Michelle Bernier-Toth Leads the effort to prepare the staff at U.S. embassies and consulates to help protect and evacuate Americans caught up in uprisings, wars and natural disasters.
2012 Winner Elliot B. Branch Management Excellence Elliot B. Branch Through savvy acquisition and procurement, ensures our warfighters have the right equipment when they need it, at the best possible value for the American taxpayer.
2012 Finalist Arleas Upton Kea Management Excellence Arleas Upton Kea Simultaneously managed the critical tasks of doubling the FDIC’s workforce to respond to the nation’s financial crisis and overseeing a culture change initiative at the agency.
2012 Finalist Alice Muellerweiss Management Excellence Alice Muellerweiss Established a new unified approach to training and career development to help Department of Veterans Affairs’ employees nationwide more effectively meet the needs of the men and women who have served our country.
2012 Finalist Danette Campbell Management Excellence Danette Campbell Designed and leads the government’s most successful teleworking program that has saved millions of dollars, increased productivity and boosted employee job satisfaction and commitment.
2012 Finalist Joseph Kennedy, Ray Decker and Hakeem Basheerud-Deen Management Excellence Joseph Kennedy, Ray Decker and Hakeem Basheerud-Deen Successfully increased the number of veterans hired by the federal government by matching their skills with government careers.
2012 Winner Louis Milione and the DEA Team Safety, Security and International Affairs Louis Milione and the DEA Team Led a high-stakes federal undercover investigation spanning three continents that resulted in the arrest and conviction of the “Merchant of Death,” the world’s most notorious arms trafficker.
2012 Finalist Kelly Maltagliati Safety, Security and International Affairs Kelly Maltagliati Leads the recovery of thousands of priceless American historical documents stolen from the National Archives, including papers from the Civil War and Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
2012 Finalist Michael Hertz Safety, Security and International Affairs Michael Hertz Recovered billions of dollars from perpetrators of fraud against the federal government through innovative use of the False Claims Act.
2012 Finalist Daniel Stoneking Safety, Security and International Affairs Daniel Stoneking Forges unique partnerships with private-sector organizations to galvanize their participation in the planning, response and relief efforts for communities struck by tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters.
