Celebrating Excellence in Public Service: The 2024 Sammies Awards Honorees

Tens of thousands of U.S. government employees dedicate themselves to assisting the American people each day. Yet their efforts aren’t well-known unless they generate negative headlines or are subject to damaging rhetoric.

This is why the 2024 Sammies Awards are so important.

Presented by the Partnership for Public Service, the following 2024 Sammies award-winners and finalists are mostly unknown to most American citizens. However, these individuals stand out because they have successfully relied on government resources while going above and beyond to support U.S. citizens.  

The Sammies: What They Are, Where They Came From

Launched in 2002 by the Partnership for Public Service, the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals are awarded to federal employees who go above and beyond in serving the nation. The goal of the Sammies is federal employee recognition in areas including health, science, safety, international affairs and management.

Nominees come from colleagues and the public, with winners selected based on their contributions and impact. Sometimes known as the “Oscars” of government service, the Sammies honor dedicated individuals who exemplify service to the public.

Please join us at Serving Those Who Serve to honor the following Sammies winners and finalists.

The Winners: Snapshots of Excellence

The following eight civil servants received this year’s Sammies:

Federal Employees of the Year: Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold, Nancy Alcantara and the Packers Sanitation Investigation Leads Team, Department of Labor

The team uncovered extensive child labor violations involving 102 children from 13 to 17 years old in slaughterhouse plants across eight states. The team’s findings led to significant civil penalties and upgraded child labor law enforcement procedures.

Paul Volcker Career Achievement Award: Christopher Mark, Department of Labor

Mark’s decades-long federal career has pinpointed mining safety to protect miners and save lives.  Mark’s efforts prevented fatalities caused by roof falls and other underground mining disasters, making mines safer.

Safety, Security and International Affairs Medal: Pete Guria, Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald, Environmental Protection Agency

The team oversaw more than 300 Environmental Protection Agency personnel in their efforts to remove tons of hazardous materials caused by the Maui wildlife fires. The team also respected local cultural norms, helping to set standards for additional federal response teams.

Emerging Leaders Medal: Jerry Ma, Department of Commerce

Ma led the agency’s approach to using artificial intelligence for patent and trademark approval while developing efficient technologies to assist patent and trademark personnel and the public.

Management Excellence Medal: Amira Choueiki Boland, Office of Management and Budget

To help the public navigate the sometimes burdensome processes involving government assistance, Boland introduced policies that improved federal services and customer experiences in areas including newborn care, disaster assistance and online passport renewals.

Science, Technology and Environment Medal: Marc Levitan, Long Phan and the Tornado Wind Loads Team; Department of Commerce

The team conducted groundbreaking research, resulting in the world’s first tornado-resistant building codes. The team’s efforts will help protect schools, hospitals and emergency centers from severe storm-generated property damage while saving countless lives.

People’s Choice Award: Yan Ping (Judy) Chen, Jay D. Evans, Department of Agriculture

The team introduced new technologies to pinpoint dangerous bee viruses in response to the decline of the honeybee population. Using this research, the team also developed medicines to improve bee health and protect their colonies.

Spirit of Service Award: Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, Joe Kiani, A Starting Point

The team heads A Starting Point, a nonpartisan online platform for creating an informed electorate. Geared toward high school and college students, the platform offers interviews and discussions with current and former members of Congress, government officials and subject matter experts.

The Finalists: Showcasing Federal Talent

The Sammies also honored the following trailbreakers in their efforts to assist the U.S. population through improved government services.

Paul Volcker Career Achievement Award

• Janet Woodcock, FDA. Improved the FDA’s drug review processes, improving access to generic drugs and medications to treat life-threatening illnesses.
• Francine E. Alkisswani, Ph.D., Department of Commerce. Promoted for and implemented a federal program that supported historically Black colleges and universities as innovation hubs, bridging the digital gap to underserved communities.
• Robert J. McGaughey, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. Promoted better forestland management by developing open-source software converting large amounts of aerial data into detailed information.
• Thaddeus A. Ryba Jr., Department of the Air Force. Played a critical diplomatic and scientific role leading to the elimination of Syria’s and Libya’s stockpiled chemical weapons; also assisted in the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile destruction and ban on deadly nerve agents.
• Matthew S. Borman, Department of Commerce. Led efforts to impose export controls on U.S. adversaries, denying access to critical American technology that could be used for military purposes against our nation.

Management Excellence Award

• Darnita S. Trower, Wanda J. Brown, Gerald D. Johnson and the Paperless Processing Initiative Team, Internal Revenue Service. Developed a system allowing taxpayers to submit correspondence and non-tax forms to the IRS for the 2024 filing season.
• Christopher Johnston, Rachel Han, Ryan Thurlwell and the VA Mobile App Team, Department of Veteran Affairs. Developed a mobile phone app allowing veterans to enhance their medical care. The app lets veterans handle various tasks, including making healthcare appointments, locating VA facilities, managing claims and uploading documentation.
• Elizabeth (Biza) Repko, Government Accountability Office. Oversaw research projects demonstrating vehicle safety feature gaps while pinpointing reliability weaknesses in U.S. rail and highway systems.
• Mike Schmidt and the CHIPS Program Team, Department of Commerce. Implemented a multibillion-dollar program to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry; efforts will increase domestic chip production while strengthening American manufacturing and national security.

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Safety, Security and International Affairs Award

• Tony Mento, Camille Otto, Hari Kalla, Department of Transportation. Spearheaded coordination and technical expertise to expedite a Philadelphia interstate highway reopening less than two weeks after a gasoline tanker crash destroyed an exit ramp bridge.
• Kaitlin Sahni, Kate Naseef, Nhan Nguyen and the Chemical Prosecutions Team, Department of Justice. Investigated and prosecuted the first case against suppliers to a Mexican drug cartel; these efforts disrupted Mexican methamphetamine and fentanyl production.
• Trevor McAleenan, Michael Lane, IRS. Spearheaded one of the largest U.S. financial apprehensions, leading an investigation resulting in the seizure and forfeiture of more than $3 billion of bitcoin stolen by Jimmy Zhong.

Emerging Leaders Award

• Sammie Tafoya, Department of State. Led a visa revocation policy for Haitians involved with criminal activities and human rights abuses; contributed to a U.S. resolution imposing penalties against Haitians undermining the Caribbean nation’s stability.
• Andrea Fletcher, Department of Health and Human Services. Led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in implementing the No Surprises Act and helped create online services to help patients dispute unexpected medical bills and improve hospital price transparency.
• Kyle Gardiner, Office of Management and Budget. Led the restructuring of cumbersome government forms while improving the information-collection processes to ensure deserving recipients receive public benefits.

Science, Technology and Environment Award

• Neil Cheatwood, Stephen Hughes, NASA. Led the development of an inflatable heat shield for planetary entry, descent and landing. The shield will help spacecraft deliver larger payloads to distant planets, including a future planned mission to Mars.
• Tara McHugh, Department of Agriculture. Helped develop novel, healthy processed foods, reducing food waste and creating jobs in high-unemployment areas.
• Karl Simon, Christine Koester, Matt Lakin and the Clean School Bus Team, Environmental Protection Agency. Designed and implemented a program to finance the purchase of new electric and cleaner-energy school buses; the result is pollution reduction and air quality improvement for children of low-income communities.

STWS Offers Heartfelt Congratulations

Serving Those Who Serve offers federal-focused financial advice and planning. As such, we’re delighted to congratulate all federal workers who dedicate their daily activities to supporting the American people.

For more than three decades, we’ve had the honor of assisting federal government employees to build their helping them generate resources to support their lifestyles now and in the future.

For additional information about how our seasoned professionals can help personalize a financial plan to match your federal government benefits, visit us at STWS.com or email [email protected].

The information has been obtained from sources considered reliable but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Serving Those Who Serve writers  and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy suggested. Every investor’s situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon before making any investment or financial decision. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation. While we are familiar with the tax provisions of the issues presented herein, as Financial Advisors of RJFS, we are not qualified to render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional. **