GovernmentExecutive.com

President Bush has recognized more than 350 career federal executives for their outstanding leadership and longtime service to government.

"Winners of the prestigious Presidential Rank Award represent the cream of the crop within the federal executive ranks," Office of Personnel Management acting Director Michael Hager said in a statement announcing the 2008 awards. "Their professional dedication and commitment to excellence is helping to advance President Bush's agenda for enhancing federal government performance and creating a more effective civil service."

Of the 353 recipients, 61 career employees were named Distinguished Senior Professionals or Executives. That distinction is limited to 1 percent of the senior professional and senior executive corps.

The recipients will receive cash awards worth 35 percent of their base pay, which means a bonus of at least $40,063, since minimum base pay for senior executives is $114,468. Bonuses could be as high as $60,270 for top senior executives in agencies that have certified performance appraisal systems for SES members and the top salary for executives is $172,200. In agencies without certified systems, the salary cap is $158,500, and the highest bonuses will be $55,475.

The other 292 award recipients were named Meritorious Executives and Senior Professionals, an honor limited to 5 percent of the corps. They will receive awards worth 20 percent of their base pay, a minimum of $22,894, and up to $34,400 in agencies with certified appraisal systems, and $31,700 in agencies without them.

Defense and Homeland Security executives had another strong showing among winners. In 2007, Defense and the military departments alone had 16 Distinguished Executives and 71 Meritorious Executives. This year officials from the Homeland Security and Defense (including the armed services) departments won 18 of the Distinguished Rank Awards and 44 of the Meritorious Rank Awards.

COMMENTS

• I am not a federal employee but work for the private sector in an executive level position. In my opinion the SES people are, for the most part, the real deal. They typically do not get drawn into petty agency "food fights", like lower level staff, but look out for the mission of the agency. Sometimes it is so disappointing to deal with the lower level workers who have been in for 15 or more yaers who have completely lost touch with reality in terms of agency mission and are focused entirely on the "entitlement culture". These SES-ers's deserve the recognition and the money. (BTW, $30K is not that great!). I see a lot of "sour grapes" from the lower level "govey's" in their responses to this blog. Too bad. Get back to work and do something for we, the tax payers, and stop complaining - about everything. Or come out here where we play and see what it is like to put in a real days work. Charles W. Joseph Posted October 16, 2008 1:16 PM
• The Commission on Civil Rights is a joke. Having watched them in action after the 2000 election it was obvious that it needed to be disbanded since the $$ they spent were wasted. So its hard for me to believe it was left in disarray it sure wasn't in array Dan ketter Posted October 15, 2008 11:19 AM
• Terri A. Dickerson serves as the first Director of Civil Rights in not only history of the Coast Guard but the history of the federal government to move for the constructive discharge of over a dozen employees GS-9 to GS-15 and still become a Presidential Rank Award winner. In the two and half years since she left the United States Commission on Civil Rights in a state of disarray after serving as its No. 2 officer for 6 years, she has recreated disarray at Coast Guard. In the more than 28 months she has been at the helm of Civil Rights, Coast Guard has had 3 unsolved noose incidents at the service Academy. Over 50 Equal Opportunity Review Reports conducted since her arrival remain unsigned. We question what qualifies her for this award? Thomas Jackson Posted October 12, 2008 5:08 PM