Service to America Medals – 2011 Finalists

This year, 34 federal employees were named finalists in eight categories for their public service work.

The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals or Sammies recognizes federal employees who have done outstanding work in public service. This year, 34 feds were named finalists in eight categories.

The Partnership for Public Service awarded the winners in a Sept. 15 award gala in Washington.

Prior to the gala, Federal News Radio talked to each of the finalists about their accomplishments. (All photos are by Sam Kittner/Kittner.com.)

Categories: Call to Service | Career Achievement | Citizen Services | Homeland Security | Justice and Law Enforcement | Management Excellence | National Security and International Affairs | Science and Environment
(Click on a category to see the finalists.)

Call to Service

This award will recognize a fed whose professional achievements reflect the important contributions that a new generation brings to public service.

KATHERINE ANTOS
Position: Water Quality Team Leader
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Location: Annapolis, Md.
Listen to the interview.

OLIVER P. FISCHER
Position: Demographer/Conflict Monitoring and Response Officer
Agency: Census Bureau
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

MARY PLETCHER
Position: Deputy Recovery Coordinator and Acting Deputy Director, National Business Center
Agency: Interior
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

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Career Achievement
This award recognizes a federal employee for significant accomplishments throughout a lifetime of achievement in public service.

ALFONSO BATRES
Position: Chief Officer, Readjustment Counseling Service
Agency: Veterans Health Administration
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

MATTHEW J. FRIEDMAN
Position: Executive Director, National Center for PTSD
Agency: Veterans Affairs
Location: White River Junction, Vt.
Listen to the interview.

NEAL B. BROWN
Position: Chief, Community Support Programs Branch
Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Location: Rockville, Md.
Listen to the interview.

SHARON W. BRYSON
Position: Deputy Director, Office of Communications
Agency: National Transportation Safety Board
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

LAWRENCE DEYTON
Position: Director, Center for Tobacco Products
Agency: Food and Drug Administration
Location: Rockville, Md.
Listen to the interview.

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Citizen Services
This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to social services (including economic development and assistance, education, health care, housing, labor and transportation).

DIANE BRAUNSTEIN
Position: Associate Commissioner, Office of International Programs
Agency: Social Security Administration
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Listen to the interview.

KIM M.NAZI & BLUE BUTTON INITIATIVE TEAM
Position: Analyst, Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office
Agency: Veterans Health Administration
Location: Albany, N.Y. Listen to the interview.

JULIE RUSHIN
Position: Deputy Chief Information Officer for Operations Support
Agency: Internal Revenue Service
Location: Atlanta, Ga.

OMNIBUS BROADBAND INITIATIVE TEAM
Agency: Federal Communications Commission
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview

JULIUS KNAPP
Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology

RUTH MILKMAN
Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau

SHARON GILLETT
Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau

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Homeland Security
This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to homeland security (including border and transportation security, emergency preparedness and response, intelligence and law enforcement).

WILLIAM ARRINGTON
Position: General Manager, Highway and Motor Carrier Security Division
Agency: Transportation Security Administration
Location: Arlington, Va.
Listen to the interview.

C. NORMAN COLEMAN
Position: Associate Director, Radiation Research Program
Agency: National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute
Location: Rockville, Md.
Listen to the interview.

AMY MERTEN & ERMA TEAM
Position: Spatial Data Branch Chief, Office of Response and Restoration
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Listen to the interview.

RICHARD REED
Position: : Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Resilience Policy
Agency: Executive Office of the President
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

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Justice and Law Enforcement
This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to justice and law enforcement (including civil rights, criminal justice, counterterrorism, and fraud detection and prevention).

TARYN GUARIGLIA
Position: Special Agent
Agency: Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation
Location: Deerfield Beach, Fla.

CHARLES J. HOUSER & TEAM
Position: Chief, National Tracing Center Division
Agency: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Location: Martinsburg, W.Va.

CHARLES HEURICH & NamUs TEAM
Position: Program Manager, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
Agency: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

TEAM
Agency: Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

KATHERINE MCQUAY
Assistant Director

ZOE MENTEL
Assistant Director Policy Analyst

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Management Excellence
This medal recognizes a federal employee for demonstrating superior leadership and management excellence through a significant contribution to the nation that exemplifies efficient, effective and results-oriented government.

W. TODD GRAMS
Position: Acting Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer
Agency: Veterans Affairs
Location: Washington, D.C.
Click to hear the interview.

BILL GUERIN
Position: Assistant Commissioner for Project Delivery, Public Buildings Service
Agency: General Services Administration
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

ANN MARIE OLIVA
Position: Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs
Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

MICHAEL B. SMITH
Position: Director of Strategic Sourcing
Agency: Homeland Security
Location: Washington, D.C.

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National Security and International Affairs
This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to national security and international affairs (including defense, military affairs, diplomacy, foreign assistance and trade).

PAUL B. DEAN
Position: Attorney-Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser
Agency: State
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

JAMES MICHAEL DUNCAN & TEAM
Position: Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Johnson Space Center
Agency: NASA
Location: Houston, Texas
Listen to the interview.

DAN MEYER & TEAM
Position: Director, Whistleblowing and Transparency
Agency: Defense Department, Office of the Inspector General
Location: Arlington, Va.
Listen to the interview.

BRIAN H. NILSSON & EXPORT CONTROL REFORM TEAM
Position: Director for Non-Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate
Agency: Executive Office of the President, National Security Staff
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

JANET ST. LAURENT
Position: Managing Director for Defense Capabilities and Management
Agency: Government Accountability Office
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

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Science and Environment
This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to science and environment (including biomedicine, economics, energy, information technology, meteorology, resource conservation and space).

FENELLA FRANCE
Position: Preservation Scientist, Preservation Research and Testing Division
Agency: Library of Congress
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

WILLIAM A. GAHL
Position: Director, Undiagnosed Diseases Program
Agency: National Institutes of Health
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Listen to the interview.

PAUL HSIEH
Position: Research Hydrologist
Agency: U.S. Geological Survey
Location: Menlo Park, Calif.
Listen to the interview.

DIANE POWELL & LAUNCH TEAM
Position: Team lead, LAUNCH, Office of the Chief Technologist
Agency: NASA
Location: Washington, D.C.
Listen to the interview.

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Check out Federal News Radio interviews with past Sammies finalists.

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