Presidential Rank Award winners honored

Vice President Al Gore honored 287 federal executives Tuesday with the government's top awards for outstanding service.

Gore saluted the 1997 Presidential Rank Award winners during a ceremony at Washington's Constitution Hall, as part of Public Service Recognition Week.

"Not only do you work diligently to deliver exceptional service to the American people, but the service you deliver is helping to build the public trust that makes representative democracy possible," Gore said to the winners, who were among an audience that included dozens of the federal government's highest-ranking officials. "The top government experts are not in think tanks or universities or newsrooms. The world's foremost authorities on how to run government are in this room."

Sixty-three executives were honored as Distinguished Executives for major accomplishments in carrying out government goals and policies. Each winner received a lump-sum payment of $20,000, a gold pin and a framed certificate signed by President Clinton. This year's top executives included the director of NASA's space shuttle operations, the Defense Department's procurement director, and the Justice Department's chief administrator.

Another 224 executives were named Meritorious Executives and awarded $10,000 lump-sum payments for exemplary performance.

In addition to praising the winning executives, Gore said he has urged the administration's political brass to place more trust in the career Senior Executive Service. Gore also urged members of the SES to put more trust in their subordinates.

"Last week I spoke to members of the sub-Cabinet to tell them about what we've learned from reinvention," Gore explained. "I told them to let you loose, to give you more room, to get out of your way, to not hinder your imagination or put any burdens or boundaries on your creativity. I told them we want to take full advantage of your talents. We should do that by giving you more freedom and more trust and asking you to give more freedom and more trust to those who report to you, and carry that principle out all the way out to the front lines."

Two weeks ago at the Reinvention Revolution Conference, Gore announced a presidential memorandum urging government officials to waive internal rules wherever possible. On Tuesday, Gore reiterated his call for more flexibility in agency rules.

"I don't know how to run your departments, but you do. If I'm going to make any difference while I'm here, it's because I'll have used my time and energy to make sure that you are given the help that you need to change the culture of the federal workforce into one of innovation and experimentation with the goal of serving the public," Gore said to the executives.

The Senior Executives Association will host a banquet for the Rank Award winners on Thursday in Washington. The awards are presented annually to no more than one percent of the more than 6,000 members of the Senior Executive Service.

For a complete list of the 1997 Presidential Rank Award winners, click here.