Prize Performers

Presidential Rank Award winners play critical roles in missions ranging from project management to scientific research and defense.

Each year the president holds up an exclusive group of top senior executives as prime examples of dedication to good government by awarding them the Presidential Rank Award. The 2009 winners represent a wide range of professionals working to save time, money and lives through better health care and financial systems; uncover financial and cyber fraud; advance scientific research on Earth and in space; and shore up the nation's defenses against terrorism, natural disaster and crime.

Executives are nominated by their agency heads and reviewed by boards made up of private citizens before the president's final selection. They are evaluated on leadership qualities and performance results. Distinguished Rank Award recipients receive a payment of 35 percent of their annual salary and Meritorious Rank Award recipients receive 20 percent of pay.

The following pages contain profiles of the latest Distinguished Award winners, who will be honored at a reception and dinner sponsored by the Senior Executives Association on May 6.

Agriculture

Dennis Gonsalves

Director

Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center

Controlled virus problems in tropical crops while researching how to control pests in Hawaii, including the fruit fly. His work on the transgenic virus- resistant papaya helped control the ring spot virus that nearly killed off the plant in that state.

Steven Mark Kappes

Deputy Administrator

Agricultural Research Service

Mapped the bovine genome and identified specific challenges to beef cattle genetics research. Advanced the study of farm cattle by uncovering ruminant biology and evolution with bovine genome study.

Commerce

Lisa A. Casias

Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Office of the Secretary

Transformed Commerce from a department with poor record-keeping and financial management to one with sound practices, internal controls and systems. Responsible for ensuring federal financial management reforms are effectively implemented governmentwide. Helped Commerce earn consistently clean audit opinions.

Mary M. Glackin

Deputy Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Responsible for management of U.S. fisheries and marine sanctuaries, as well as daily delivery of essential environmental information such as weather warnings and forecasts. In previous positions, she established the Office of Program Planning and Integration and led a program to modernize the National Weather Service.

Deborah A. Jefferson

Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer

Office of the Secretary

Designed, developed and implemented human capital management initiatives at the departmental and bureau levels. Responsible for HR and payroll services for six of Commerce's 13 bureaus.

Thomas R. Karl

Director, Climate Data Center; Program Manager, Climate Observation and Monitoring Program

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Authored many climatic atlases and technical reports. Published more than 150 journal articles to increase the scientific community's knowledge of global warming. Member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Kathleen A. Kelly

Director, Office of Satellite Operations

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Provides expertise in 24-7 satellite operations. Led move into new building without any loss of data. Created a more reliable flow of satellite information to the National Weather Service. Recovered the GOES-12 satellite from a life-threatening problem and restored it to full operations within one week.

Richard W. Spinrad

Assistant Administrator, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Oversees seven laboratories, 1,200 researchers and a $400 million budget. Led the development of the nation's first Ocean Research Priorities Plan. Previously received the Navy's Distinguished Civilian Service Award.

Maureen E. Wylie

Chief Financial Officer

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Responsible for multibillion-dollar budget and financial operations. Manages a workforce of more than 350 people in 10 locations. Contributes strategic counsel on the agency's programmatic issues.

Defense

William J. Carr

Deputy Undersecretary for Military Personnel Policy

Office of the Secretary

Built the Defense Travel Management Office from the ground up. Now it is a 150-person organization with oversight of $9 billion in commercial travel- related spending. Reopened 2,500 homes on military bases while trimming annual rental outlays by nearly $30 million. Directed a review of $90 billion in military compensation programs.

John A. Casciotti

Associate Deputy General Counsel for Health Affairs

Office of the Secretary

Improved the Military Health System by reforming the medical and disability programs for wounded soldiers. Reduced costs with regulatory and legislative initiatives. Successfully defended programs such as the anthrax vaccine immunization project.

Steven M. Huybrechts

Principal Director, C-3 Space and Spectrum

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration

Oversees the nation's space launch infrastructure. Reduced the cost of a weather satellite program by $2 billion. Transformed the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base from a cataloging function into a command center capable of understanding space events in real time.

J. Alan Liotta

Principal Director

Office of Detainee Affairs

Oversaw development of Defense's international detention activities and held various posts in Asia. Managed national effort to recover unaccounted American service personnel from the Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II.

Alfred J. Rivera

Director, Computing Services Directorate

Defense Information Systems Agency

Leads 2,600 personnel at 13 Defense Enterprise Computing centers around the globe. Provides critical support programs and control systems to Defense combatant commands, services and agencies.

Theresa M. Whelan

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Domains/ Support of Civil Authorities

Office of Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs

Spent 20 years in the intelligence and policy communities, focusing on African issues. Served as a negotiator during the Kosovo crisis. Currently oversees homeland defense preparedness and operations in land, maritime and air domains.

Air Force

Siva S. Banda

Director, Center of Excellence in Control Science

Air Force Research Laboratory

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Ensures the Air Force maintains innovative flight control solutions to protect national security and maintain U.S. air dominance.

Timothy A. Beyland

Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower and Personnel

Responsible for comprehensive plans and policies for all stages of military and civilian personnel management. Develops policies for military and civilian end strength management, education and training, and compensation and resource allocation.

Bruce Stuart Lemkin

Deputy Undersecretary, International Affairs

Office of the Undersecretary for International Affairs

Led a 200-person organization and managed an $85 billion Foreign Military Sales portfolio. Established stronger relationships with nations and air forces worldwide. Oversaw a 50 percent expansion of the Military Personnel Exchange Program.

Army

Kwong-Kit Choi

Senior Research Scientist for Physical Sciences Army Research Laboratory

Developed radiation sensors and imagers to aid Army operations, including night vision and missile guidance. Demonstrated the highest quantum efficiency and the broadest spectral band QWIP cameras to date.

Patrick J. Fitzgerald

Auditor General

Headquarters

Manages all audit issues pertaining to the Army and more than 600 employees worldwide. Responsible for audit policy, training, follow-up and coordination with external audit organizations.

Joseph A. Lannon

Director

Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center Led the investment of $200 million in state-of-the-art research and development centers. Manages more than 3,000 employees in 64 laboratories. Through his leadership, the center won 34 Army R&D Achievement Team Awards.

Tracey L. Pinson

Director

Office of Small Business Programs

Office of the Secretary

As the top female in the Army acquisition career field, she's responsible for implementation of federal acquisition programs designed to help small businesses. Manages the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institution program, and develops policies and initiatives to enhance their participation in Army-funded programs. Established implementation strategy for Defense Mentor-Protégé Program.

John L. Shipley

Director, Special Programs (Aviation)

Aviation and Missile Life-Cycle Management Command

Leads development, acquisition and modernization of Army's Special Operations classified and unclassified aviation fleet. Brought unmatched aviation capability to unit, and has contributed significantly to the war against terror.

Larry Stubblefield

Deputy Administrative Assistant to the Secretary Office of the Secretary

Manages several Armywide initiatives and provides information technology services to the Pentagon. Supervises the Military History and Resources Operations Center, which employs 2,300 personnel. Prior to his current position, led the Army Resources and Programs Agency, with an annual budget exceeding $10 billion.

Mark B. Tischler

Senior Research Scientist for Physical Sciences Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center

Led a group of 15 scientists who planned and executed a $4.2 million annual flight control program on unmanned and manned rotorcaft. Helped advance flight control systems through research and collaboration with industry partners.

Navy

Iona E. Evans

Chief Information Officer

Initiated the move of public shipyards into the Voluntary Protection Program, resulting in a significant decrease in injuries and improved safety awareness. Saved more than $300 million in IT expenditures across the five-year planning cycle.

Pasquale Tamburrino Jr.

Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations

Senior civilian responsible for policy, program and resource allocation for worldwide readiness and logistics. Manages a $32 billion budget for a staff of more than 300 employees while also serving as principal adviser for management of civilian executives for the chief of naval operations.

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

Timothy J. Dwyer

Technical Director

Responsible for ensuring health and safety oversight programs targeting the most dangerous facilities and operations. As a captain in the Navy Reserve, he leads 15 units that support the Office of Naval Research in crafting high-tech solutions in the war on terror.

Environmental Protection Agency

Brian J. McLean

Director

Office of Atmospheric Programs

Designed cap-and-trade programs, establishing an efficient market-based approach to reducing emissions. Encouraged collaborative solutions to environmental problems by setting up partnership programs with public organizations and the private sector.

Stephen D. Page

Director

Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards

In previous roles, he oversaw the implementation of the Clean Air Act, which defined EPA's responsibilities for protecting the nation's air quality, and directed urban and rural air quality management programs. Manages annual state grants funds of more than $185 million.

General Services Administration

Gail T. Lovelace

Chief Human Capital Officer; Chief Privacy Officer; Director of Presidential Transition

Oversees all matters related to personnel security clearances at GSA. Promotes workforce flexibilities such as teleworking and alternative work schedules. Implemented information technology to support HR management processes. Provided assistance and counseling to agencies during the 2008 presidential transition.

Health and Human Services

Anna Michelle Snyder

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Streamlined accounting by introducing an integrated system that enabled CMS to achieve its first clean audit opinion. Promoted partnerships between government agencies and private corporations, and encouraged efficient use of technology and health resources, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

Donalda L. Wilder

Area Director, Portland

Indian Health Service

Collaborated with tribal leaders to promote participation in health programs. Managed and negotiated health care contracts. Reorganized the Office of the Director at headquarters to promote more interaction with field operations.

Homeland Security

Keith L. Prewitt

Deputy Director

Secret Service

Spearheaded an interagency working group that allowed intelligence sharing with the FBI during the 2008 presidential campaign. Pushed for accreditation standards improving law enforcement training, and initiated major cyber investigation uncovering fraud schemes worldwide.

Thomas S. Winkowski

Assistant Commissioner, Field Operations

Customs and Border Protection

Developed national and international programs to support the administration's anti-terrorism agenda after September 11, 2001. Responsible for enforcing customs, immigration and agriculture laws at U.S. borders.

Justice

Lee J. Lofthus

Assistant Attorney General for Administration

Pushed to consolidate and modernize the department's financial management system. Issues its public financial statements and manages key financial initiatives. Achieved the rare feat of bringing three clean audits in a year to the agency in former position as chief financial officer. Transformed the human resources department through technology.

Andrew G. Oosterbaan

Chief of Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

Criminal Division

Developed technology to monitor child exploitation and obscenity offenses. Designed an interagency strategy to deal with child prostitution. Led undercover initiatives and drafted legislation targeting sex trafficking.

Clifford J. White III

Director

U.S. Trustee Program

Led agency efforts to implement bankruptcy reform and developed fair means testing policies to weed out fraud. Promoted a balanced approach to addressing violations of the bankruptcy code, targeting debtors as well as creditors and attorneys. Pushed to oust managers engaged in fraud during corporate bankruptcy reorganizations.

John L. Wodatch

Chief

Disability Rights Section

Chief author of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Removed barriers for Americans with disabilities by enforcing laws prohibiting discriminatory practices in workplaces, public transportation and housing.

NASA

John H. Campbell

Director (retired), Wallops Flight Facility

Goddard Space Flight Center

Managed NASA's principal facility for suborbital research programs, directed acquisition and certification efforts of expendable launch vehicles. In his previous job, he was responsible for the development and operation of all Goddard Space Flight Center's spacecraft, including the Hubble Space Telescope.

Debra L. Johnson

Director, Office of Procurement

Johnson Space Center

Manages $5 billion in annual expenditures, including complex contracts involving the International Space Station Program, Space Shuttle Program, and Constellation Program. In previous roles, coordinated business decisions with headquarters and external audit agencies.

Mary Denise Kerwin

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

Key contact between NASA and Capitol Hill. Translates NASA's complex initiatives into comprehensible concepts for Congress, secures NASA's annual $17.5 billion budget and ensures congressional priorities are aligned with those of the agency.

Samuel H. Moseley

Senior Astrophysicist

Goddard Space Flight Center

Leader in the development of thermal detectors for infrared detection and X-ray spectroscopy. Implemented the infrared array camera to detect emission from the earliest generation of galaxies to form in the universe after the Big Bang.

Jonathan Q. Pettus

Chief Information Officer

Oversees NASA's $2 billion IT budget and applications supporting human space flight, scientific and aeronautical programs. In previous positions, he managed IT to support the Marshall Space Flight Center's missions and led a team that integrated NASA's enterprise-level applications.

J. William Sikora

Chief Counsel

John H. Glenn Research Center

Leads the team that provides legal counsel on missions at the John H. Glenn Research Center. Legal adviser to the accident investigation board looking into the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003.

Anthony J. Strazisar

Chief Scientist

John H. Glenn Research Center

On temporary assignment to headquarters, he is responsible for investing nearly $30 million in early-stage exploration for creative, high-risk concepts with the potential to become breakthroughs in aircraft and engine technology.

Michael C. Wholley

General Counsel

Leads team of attorneys in overseeing NASA's legal affairs and ensures agency's compliance with patent, international and employment law. Previously, he served as a fighter pilot, before being selected by Marine Corps to attend law school and become a judge advocate.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Roy P. Zimmerman

Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response

Spearheaded creation of office to enhance nuclear power plant security after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Led review of emergency preparedness regulations and strengthened partnerships with other federal agencies to address threats to national safety.

State

John R. Byerly

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Transportation Affairs

Engaged in several negotiations of air services agreements and development of civil aviation and maritime policy. Lead negotiator in the 2007 historic Air Transport Agreement that liberalized U.S. aviation relations with 27 European Union countries.

Jonathan B. Schwartz

Deputy Legal Adviser

Counsels the secretary, national security adviser and president on efforts to promote peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors. Forged diplomatic ties with Libya. Supervised offices within the agency's legal bureau, including African and Middle Eastern Affairs.

Transportation

Theodore P. Alves

Deputy Inspector General (retired)

Supervised audits and investigations of federal transportation agencies. Oversaw HR, procurement and accounting activities. In his previous position at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he directed financial management operations and IT audits.

Treasury

Richard Ervin Byrd Jr.

Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division

Internal Revenue Service

Led a program that examined tax returns and resolved millions of cases involving underreporting. Orchestrated outreach effort to assist Americans filing tax returns to receive 2008 stimulus payments. Delivered successful 2008 filing season despite budget shortfalls.

John R. Swales III

Assistant Commissioner, Office of Retail Securities

Bureau of the Public Debt

Merged programs to save the department more than $1 million annually. Pioneered technology to protect billions of dollars in investor accounts. Guided an error-free accounting operation, achieving 15 consecutive years of timely and accurate interest payments.

Veterans Affairs

Elizabeth J. Freeman

Director

Palo Alto Health Care System

Manages 5,000 employees and volunteers with an annual budget of more than $700 million. Procured $350 million in construction funds in two years for major projects. Under her leadership, VA Palo Alto has achieved the highest employee satisfaction scores in VHA's last four surveys and became the only VHA Center of Excellence in Women's Health Care in 2008.

Glen W. Grippen

Network Director

Rocky Mountain Network

Limited large, expensive hospitals and pushed for accessible, local hospitals with same-day surgery centers. Developed communication networks for telemedicine applications. Connected Native American veterans on reservations to telemedical services in 2007.

Alan S. Perry

Director

Roseburg Healthcare System

Directed three VA federal medical stations in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. Led a politically charged panel review of a hospital restructuring. Served as lead liaison and interim director of VA operations in the Philippines.

James M. Sullivan

Deputy Director

Office of Asset Enterprise

Management

Primary business adviser to secretary on capital asset portfolio management. Implemented an interdepartmental Green Building Council for environmentally friendly and sustainable construction. Created a business case model that used electronic databases to evaluate capital asset proposals.