| Field | Value |
|---|
| name | Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals |
| image | NASA Team Receives Service to America Medal.jpg |
| caption | 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. |
| presenter | Partnership for Public Service |
| country | United States |
| year | |
| website | |
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. The Sammies accordingly celebrate excellence in the federal merit service.
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
Source:
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| 2002 | William Fleming & Ben Herren |
| 2003 | Stephen McHale |
| 2004 | Robert F. Clifford |
| 2005 | Orlando Figueroa |
| 2006 | Nancy Cox |
| 2007 | Douglas R. Lowly & John T. Schiller |
| 2008 | Richard Greene |
| 2009 | Janet Kemp |
2010s
2010
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Pius Bannis (USCIS) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Susan Solomon (NOAA) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Shane Kelley & Eva Ristow (Social Security Administration) | Citizen Services |
| Saskia van Gendt (EPA) | Emerging Leaders |
| Jeffrey M. Baker (Department of Energy) | Science and Environment |
| Jamie L. Konstas (FBI) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Teri Glass and team (U.S. Army) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Sandra K. Brooks (U.S. Navy) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2011
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Paul A. Hsieh (USGS) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Alfonso Batres (VA) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Diane K. Braunstein (Social Security Administration) | Citizen Services |
| Ann S. Martin (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) | Emerging Leaders |
| William A. Gahl (NIH) | Science, Technology, and Environment |
| Charles Heurich and team (U.S. Department of Justice) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| James Michael Duncan and team (NASA) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| C. Norman Coleman (NIH) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2012
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Lynne Meryl Mofenson(NIH) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| James Cash (National Transportation Safety Board) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Elliot B. Branch (Department of the Navy) | Management Excellence |
| Susan Angell & Mark Johnston (among others) (Housing and Urban Development, VA) | Citizen Services |
| Jacob M. Taylor (National Institute of Standards and Technology) | Emerging Leaders |
| Neal S. Young (NIH) | Science and Environment |
| Louis Milione (among others) (Drug Enforcement Administration) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Nael Samha & Thomas Roland Jr. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Charles Scoville (VA) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2013
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Julie Segre & Tara Palmore (among others)(NIH) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Orice Williams Brown (GAO) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Kevin T. Geiss (Department of the Air Force) | Management Excellence |
| Daniel Madrzykowski (National Institute of Standards and Technology) | Citizen Services |
| Andrew Rabens (Department of State) | Emerging Leaders |
| David Lavery (among others) (NASA) | Science and Environment |
| John MacKinnon (among others) (Homeland Security) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Hamid Jafari (CDC) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Antonio J. Mendez (CIA) | (General Winner) |
2014
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Rana Hajjeh (among others) (CDC) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Edwin Kneedler (Department of Justice) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Alan J. Lindenmoyer (NASA) | Management Excellence |
| Michael Byrne (FCC) | Citizen Services |
| Sara Meyers (Housing and Urban Development) | Emerging Leaders |
| William A. Bauman and Ann M. Spungen (VA) | Science and Environment |
| Omar Aybar & Reginald France (among others) (Department of Health and Human Services) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Sean Young & Benjamin Tran (Department of the Air Force) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2015
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Steven A. Rosenberg (NIH) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Hyun Soon Lillehoj (Department of Agriculture) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Edward C. Hugler ([Department of Labor) | Management Excellence |
| Jean Zenklusen & Carolyn Hutter (among others) (NIH) | People's Choice Award |
| Lucile Jones (USGS) | Citizen Services |
| Adam R. Schildge (Department of Transportation) | Emerging Leaders |
| Jacob E. Moss (EPA) | Science and Environment |
| Mia Beers (among others) (USAID) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Ron Ross (National Institute of Standards and Technology) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2016
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Paul McGann, Jean D. Moody-Williams, Dennis Wagner (Medicare/Medicaid) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Kathleen Hogan (Department of Energy) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| William Gregory Burel (CDC) | Management Excellence |
| Edward Grace (among others) (USFWS) | People's Choice Award |
| Lisa M. Jones (Department of the Treasury) | Citizen Services |
| Tate Jarrow (Secret Service) | Emerging Leaders |
| Jaques Reifman (among others) (Department of the Army) | Science and Environment |
| Kirk Yeager (FBI) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Thomas Mariani, S. O'Rourke, S. Himmelhoch (Department of Justice) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2017
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Phillip Brooks, Byron Bunker, & Josh Van Eaton (USEPA, (Department of Justice) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Tedd V. Ellerbrock (CDC) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Courtney Lias & Stayce Beck (among others) (FDA) | Management Excellence |
| Surabhi Shah (among others) (USEPA) | People's Choice Award |
| Flora M. Jordan (Marine Corps Systems Command) | Promising Innovations Medal |
| Rory A. Cooper (VA) | Science and Environment |
| Timothy P. Camus (among others) (Department of the Treasury) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Alex Mahoney (among others) (USAID) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2018
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Daniel L. Kastner (Department of Health and Human Services) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp (CDC) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Marcella Jacobs (among others) (VA) | Management Excellence |
| Alison Smith (Department of Defense) | People's Choice Award |
| Jeff Bezos | Spirit of Service Award |
| Parimal Kopardekar (NASA) | Promising Innovations Medal |
| Margaret Honein (CDC) | Science and Environment |
| Karen Dodge & Margaret Moeser (among others) (FTC, Department of Justice) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Andrew M. Herscowitz (among others) (USAID) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2019
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Victoria Brahm (VA) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Ann McKee (VA) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Robert Cabana (among others) (Kennedy Space Center) | Management Excellence |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Spirit of Service Award |
| Daniel B. Jernigan (CDC) | Science and Environment |
| Jamie Rhome (National Weather Service) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Ryan Shelby (USAID) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2020s
2020
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Anthony Fauci (NIAID) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Ira Pastan (NIH) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Neil C. Evans, Kathleen L. Frisbee, Kevin Galpin (VA) | Management Excellence |
| Corvelli A. McDaniel & Lorraine Cole (Department of the Treasury) | People's Choice Award |
| Vikram Krishnasamy (CDC) | Emerging Leaders |
| Satya Nadella (Microsoft) | Spirit of Service Award |
| Beth Ripley (VA) | Science and Environment |
| Donna F. Dodson (NIST) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
2021
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Kizzmekia Corbett and Barney S. Graham (NIH) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Ana Hinojosa, Eric Choy and team (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Michelle Daniels, Charles Eldridge and Ryan Jones (Housing and Urban Development) | Management Excellence |
| Evan Kwerel (FCC) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Reem Ghandour (HRSA) | Science, Technology and Environment |
| Callie Higgins (NIST) | Emerging Leaders |
| Laurene Powell Jobs (Apple) | Spirit of Service |
2022
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Gregory Robinson (NASA) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Krista Kinnard (U.S. Department of Labor) | Emerging Leaders |
| Clifford Lane (NIAID) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Holly Herrera, Hilary Ingraham, Kiera Berdinner, and team (Department of State)) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Cynthia A. Newberg (EPA) | Science, Technology and Environment |
| Amanda Cohn, Anita Patel, David Fitter (CDC) | COVID-19 Response |
| Barbara C. Morton (VA) | Management Excellence |
| Darren Walker, (Ford Foundation) | Spirit of Service Award |
2023
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Laura Cooper and team (Department of Defense) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Melissa Emrey-Arras (GAO) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Joshua C. Mellor, Nicholas I. Cheviron, Stephanie Stevens (Department of Justice, FBI) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Brian Key, Scott Bellamy (NASA) | Science, Technology and Environment |
| Paul Nissenbaum, Gloria M. Shepherd, Maria S. Lefevre (Department of Transportation) | |
| Fletcher Schoen, Jennifer Harkins (Department of State) | Emerging Leaders |
| Sarah O’Donnell, Allison Hutchings, Megan Meacham (HRSA) | People's Choice Award |
| Judy Woodruff (PBS) | Spirit of Service Award |
2024
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold, Nancy Alcantara, and team (U.S. Department of Labor) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Christopher Mark (U.S. Department of Labor) | Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement |
| Pete Guria, Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald, and team (EPA) | Safety, Security and International Affairs |
| Jerry Ma (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) | Emerging Leaders |
| Amira C. Boland (Office of Management and Budget) | Management Excellence |
| Marc Levitan, Long Phan, and team (NIST) | Science, Technology and Environment |
| Yan Ping (Judy) Chen, Jay D. Evans (Department of Agriculture) | People's Choice Award |
| Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, Joe Kiani (A Starting Point) | Spirit of Service Award |
2025
| Winners | Category |
|---|
| Dave Lebryk (Department of the Treasury) | Federal Employee of the Year |
| Yakov Pachepsky, Moon S. Kim (Department of Agriculture) | Honorees |
| Thuc Hoang (Department of Energy) | Honoree |
| Susan S. Xu (Department of Health and Human Services) | Honoree |
| Shane P. Harrigan (Department of Justice) | Honoree |
| Kristofer Pasquale, Heather McCormick, Alex Meusburger (Small Business Administration) | Honorees |
| Ruishu F. Wright (Department of Energy) | Honoree |
| Richard Burns (NASA) | Honoree |
| Renata Miskell, Linda Chero (Department of the Treasury) | Honorees |
| Pavan Pidugu (Department of Transportation) | Honoree |
| Luis Coronado Jr., Matt Pierce (Department of State) | Honorees |
| Michaelangelo León (Department of Defense) | Honoree |
| Christina Ritter, Lara Strawbridge, Daniel Heider (Department of Health and Human Services) | Honorees |
| Maya Bretzius (Department of the Treasury) | Honoree |
| Mary Anne Alvin (Department of Energy) | Honoree |
| Lydia Carpenter (Department of Agriculture) | Honoree |
| Laura W. Cheever (Department of Health and Human Services) | Honoree |
| Kyle Randall Knipper (Department of Agriculture) | Honoree |
| Kathleen Kirsch (USAID) | Honoree |
| Johnie N. Jenkins (Department of Agriculture) | Honoree |
| John A. Blevins (NASA) | Honoree |
| Chad Kahler, Michael Staudenmaier Jr., Mark Loeffelbein (National Weather Service) | Honorees |
| Alexander Maranghides (Department of Commerce) | Honoree |
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 [http://www.memphis.edu/magazine/issues/fall10/columns/riskybusiness.php 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 [https://web.archive.org/web/20120329043115/http://articles.herald-mail.com/2011-08-27/news/29937188_1_dan-meyer-federal-workers-whistleblower-protection-act 1] (reporting on the finalist [[Daniel P. Meyer]] from the Department of Defense).
- Lewis, Michael. (September 3, 2024). "The Canary". [[The Washington Post]].
- Medals, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America. "Honoree Archive • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals".
- Medals, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America. "Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals".
- Medals, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America. "Laura Cooper".