Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals
The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, also known as "the Sammies", honor members of the federal government workforce, highlighting the work of employees making significant contributions to the governance of the United States. The awards are considered "the Oscars" of American government service.[1] The Sammies accordingly celebrate excellence in the federal merit service.[2]
| Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals | |
|---|---|
 NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, presents the National Security and International Affairs Medal to Michael Duncan, former deputy chief medical officer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston at the 2011 Sammies gala in Washington. | |
| Awarded for | Making a significant contribution to the country. |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Partnership for Public Service |
| First awarded | 5 October 2002 |
| Website | servicetoamericamedals |
Background
The awards have been presented annually since 2002 by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence in the U.S. federal civil service, and are named for Samuel J. Heyman, the organization's founder. To date, over 120 individuals and teams have been recognized.
Selection process
The Sammies are chosen from nominations collected each winter, and narrowed down to about 30 finalists announced mid-spring of each year during Public Service Recognition Week. The finalists are assessed, and from their ranks, eight awardees are selected by early fall. The Sammies selection committee is composed of nationally known journalists, political leaders, educators, and executives of large corporations. The eight awards cover the various sectors of federal public service. Honorees are chosen for their commitment and innovation, as well as the impact of their work on addressing the needs of the republic. Awardees are announced each fall at a dinner and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The Sammies finalists are those federal employees confronting complex issues of governance, including environmental, national security, and economic challenges. One criterion of the award is to qualify from among a dynamic group of talented, bright individuals working on behalf of the American people. The awards are organized and presented by the non-profit organization Partnership for Public Service.
Recipients
2000s[3]
| Winners | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | William Fleming & Ben Herren
Daniel Weinberg Rachel Billingslea Kenneth Conepcion Robert Rutherford Alfred League Donald Sweeney |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2003 | Stephen McHale
Nelson Hernandez (among others) Denise Johnson Alyson McFarland Earl Stockdale Riaz Awan Paul Polski Edward J. Needham (among others) |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2004 | Robert F. Clifford
Eileen Harrington (among others) Nicole Nelson-Jean Stephen E. Browning Peter Darling (among others) Brad Gair |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2005 | Orlando Figueroa
Barbara Turner Terence Lutes Subhashree Madhavan (among others) Tobin Bradley Elizabeth Grossman Alan Estevez Steven Bice |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2006 | Nancy Cox
Thomas Casadevall (among others) Christina Sanford Mark S. Ward W. Martin Harrell Ron McNeal |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2007 | Douglas R. Lowly & John T. Schiller
David Vesely Dinah F. B. Cohen Nicole Faison Frazer Lockhart (among others) Tracy Mustin John S. Morgan (among others) Anh Duong Edward Messmer |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2008 | Richard Greene
Alain D. Carballeyra Steven G. Chalk Mary Katherine Friedrich Mark Pletcher Eddie Bernard |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2009 | Janet Kemp
Thomas Alexander Waldmann Michael German Clare D. Rowley Patricia Guerry T. Allan Comp Amy Meyer Donald Burke & Sean P. Dennehy Walter Benjamin Fisherow |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2010s
| Winners | Award Category | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Pius Bannis
Shane Kelley & Eva Ristow Saskia van Gendt Jeffrey M. Baker Jamie L. Konstas Teri Glass (among others) Sandra K. Brooks |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2011 | Paul A. Hsieh
Alfonso Batres W. Todd Grams Diane K. Braunstein Ann S. Martin Charles Heurich (among others) James Michael Duncan (among others) C. Norman Coleman |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2012 | Lynne Meryl Mofenson
James Cash Elliot B. Branch Susan Angell & Mark Johnston (among others) Jacob M. Taylor Neal S. Young Louis Milione (among others) Nael Samha & Thomas Roland Jr. Charles Scoville |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2013 | Julie Segre & Tara Palmore (among others)
Orice Williams Brown Kevin T. Geiss Daniel Madrzykowski Andrew Rabens David Lavery (among others) John MacKinnon (among others) Hamid Jafari |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs (General Winner) |
| 2014 | Rana Hajjeh (among others)
Michael Byrne Sara Meyers William A. Bauman and Ann M. Spungen Omar Aybar & Reginald France (among others) Sean Young & Benjamin Tran |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2015 | Steven A. Rosenberg
Hyun Soon Lillehoj Jean Zenklusen & Carolyn Hutter (among others) Adam R. Schildge Jacob E. Moss Mia Beers (among others) Ron Ross |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence People's Choice Award Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2016 | Paul McGann, Jean M. Williams, Dennis Wagner
Kathleen Hogan William Gregory Burel Edward Grace (among others) Lisa M. Jones Tate Jarrow Jaques Reifman (among others) Kirk Yeager Thomas Mariani, S. O'Rourke, S. Himmelhoch |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence People's Choice Award Citizen Services Emerging Leaders Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2017 | Phillip Brooks, Byron Bunker, & Josh Van Eaton
Tedd V. Ellerbrock Courtney Lias & Stayce Beck (among others) Surabhi Shah (among others) Flora M. Jordan Timothy P. Camus (among others) Alex Mahoney (among others) |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence People's Choice Award Promising Innovations Medal Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2018 | Daniel L. Kastner
Marcella Jacobs (among others) Alison Smith Parimal Kopardekar Margaret Honein Karen Dodge & Margaret Moeser (among others) Andrew M. Herscowitz (among others) |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence People's Choice Award Spirit of Service Award Promising Innovations Medal Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2019 | Victoria Brahm
Robert Cabana (among others) Daniel B. Jernigan Jamie Rhome Ryan Shelby |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence Spirit of Service Award Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2020s
| Winners | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Anthony Fauci
Neil C. Evans, Kathleen L. Frisbee, Kevin Galpin Corvelli A. McDaniel & Lorraine Cole Vikram Krishnasamy Beth Ripley Donna F. Dodson |
Federal Employee of the Year
Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement[4] Management Excellence People's Choice Award Emerging Leaders Spirit of Service Award Science and Environment Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| 2021 | Kizzmekia Corbett and Barney S. Graham
Ana Hinojosa, Eric Choy and team Michelle Daniels, Charles Eldridge and Ryan Jones Evan Kwerel Gary Gibbons and Eliseo Pérez-Stable Reem Ghandour Callie Higgins |
Federal Employee of the Year
Safety, Security and International Affairs Management Excellence Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement COVID-19 Response Science, Technology and Environment Emerging Leaders Spirit of Service |
| 2022 | Gregory Robinson
Krista Kinnard Clifford Lane Operation Allies Welcome Resettlement Team Cynthia A. Newberg Amanda Cohn, Anita Patel, David Fitter Barbara C. Morton Josh Josa |
Federal Employee of the Year
Emerging Leaders Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Safety, Security and International Affairs Science, Technology and Environment COVID-19 Response Management Excellence People's Choice Award Spirit of Service Award |
References
- Stand-Out Public Servants Receive Coveted Service to America Medals at Washington, D.C. Gala; "Oscars" of Government Service Recipients Work in Washington, D.C., Colorado, Florida, California and Haiti (September 16, 2010); see also Timothy B. Clark, Making a Difference, National Journal (October 7, 2006).
- Gabrielle Maxey, Risky Business, The University of Memphis Magazine (Fall 2010); see also Marie Gilbert, "Hagerstown man one of 34 finalists for the 2011 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals", Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, Maryland) (August 27, 2011) at 1 (reporting on the finalist Daniel P. Meyer from the Department of Defense).
- Medals, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America. "Honoree Archive • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals". Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- Medals, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America. "Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals". Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. Retrieved 2021-01-11.