Featured June 23, 2025 Celebrating public service excellence at the 2025 Service to America Medals® gala Back to Blog Meet the 2025 Service to America Medals honorees driving innovation for a better future Date August 13, 2025 Authors Partnership for Public Service Tags Recognition Federal employees across the country are laying a foundation for the future by achieving technological firsts that benefit the entire nation. The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® honor these dedicated public servants who tackle the challenges of our time. Recognized at the 2025 Sammies gala, this group of honorees exemplifies public service at its most innovative. Their groundbreaking achievements demonstrate how career civil servants work to build a better future for us all. Advancing space exploration and scientific discovery These honorees are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, leading groundbreaking projects that expand our knowledge of the universe and pave the way for future discoveries. John A. Blevins from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration With more than two decades of experience at NASA, John Blevins has become one of the agency’s premier rocket scientists. He oversaw groundbreaking lunar projects that culminated in the successful first launch of an uncrewed rocket that orbited the moon, paving the way for new scientific discoveries and a future human mission to Mars. John A. Blevins from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Richard Burns from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Richard Burns is the project manager for the OSIRIS-REx mission. He led the team behind a spacecraft that brought back the largest asteroid sample to Earth, revealing the presence of organic material that may offer clues about the origins of life on our planet. A portion of that sample is now powering more than 80 research projects at universities and institutions around the country. Richard Burns from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Strengthening national security and critical infrastructure These honorees developed novel technologies that safeguard the nation, from protecting critical infrastructure to ensuring the integrity of our nuclear stockpile. Michaelangelo León from the Space Force, Department of Defense Michaelangelo León, an engineer with the U.S. Space Force, led the development of the Weather System Follow-on—Microwave, a next-generation satellite that will enable the U.S. armed forces to better predict meteorological changes that affect military missions around the world. Michaelangelo León from the Space Force, Department of Defense Ruishu F. Wright from the National Energy Technology Laboratory Ruishu Wright is a team leader at the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. She developed novel technologies for sensing the degradation of pipelines, electrical grids, bridges and other critical infrastructure to provide early warnings of problems and to prevent catastrophic failures that cost billions of dollars and peoples’ lives. Ruishu F. Wright from the National Energy Technology Laboratory Thuc Hoang and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Team from the National Nuclear Security Administration Thuc Hoang and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Team at the National Nuclear Security Administration played a critical role in the development of El Capitán, the world’s most powerful supercomputer that will conduct nuclear simulations with unprecedented speed and precision, transforming the stewardship of our nuclear stockpile. Thuc Hoang and the Advanced Simulation and Computing Team from the National Nuclear Security Administration Enhancing environmental and economic security These civil servants are pioneering innovative solutions to improve our environment and secure our economic future. Kyle Knipper from the Agricultural Research Service Kyle Knipper, a scientist at the Department of Agriculture, developed satellite-based models for transforming traditional irrigation practices, providing growers with detailed, near real-time information about how much water their crops use and enabling better irrigation scheduling and crop health. Kyle Knipper from the Agricultural Research Service Mary Anne Alvin from the Department of Energy As a senior program manager at the Department of Energy, Mary Anne Alvin spearheaded innovative initiatives to extract scarce rare earth minerals from coal waste. These minerals are vital components for everything from military aircraft and electric vehicles to smartphones and medical devices, and her work is helping to move the U.S. toward self-sufficiency. Mary Anne Alvin from the Department of Energy The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals honorees represent the larger public service community that improves our lives. Their innovation and foresight exemplify how a dedicated civil service is essential to tackling our greatest challenges and driving progress for the nation. Read our honorees’ profiles to learn more about their achievements and sign an e-card to congratulate these exceptional public servants.
