Sixty-six senior executives win Presidential Distinguished Rank Awards

Top civil servants being honored at a banquet on Thursday have saved the government more than $36 billion, according to the Senior Executives Association, which sponsors the annual Presidential Distinguished Rank Awards.

The black-tie event at the State Department was put on to celebrate the 66 winners of the 2010 awards, eligibility for which is limited to 1 percent of career senior executives who, according to the Office of Personnel Management's guidelines, "have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time." The honorees receive a monetary award equivalent to 35 percent of their annual basic pay. There were 76 recipients of the 2009 award.

The Defense Department, including six winners from the Office of the Secretary, garnered 23 awards, the most of any department. NASA captured the second-largest haul, with seven recipients.

Honorees' accomplishments included arguing 80 cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States; serving as lead negotiator for the international agreements for the International Space Station; managing all equipment that soldiers need on a daily basis (from tents, kitchens and water to portable latrines); and processing nearly 200,000 citizenship applications and naturalizing almost 170,000 people in one year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was scheduled as speaker for the event.

Click here for a complete list of winners.