Partnership for Public Service announces 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal winners

September 9, 2024

Nancy Alcantara, Shannon Rebolledo and Justin Uphold of the Department of Labor will be honored as Federal Employees of the Year for their investigation of child labor law violations.

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today announced its 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal^® winners, a group of extraordinary public servants who have helped our government innovate, save lives and deliver critical services to the public.

Considered the “Oscars” of government service, and better known as “the Sammies,” the awards have earned a reputation as the premier recognition program for excellence and leadership in the federal government. The Partnership will celebrate this year’s honorees at its 23^rd annual awards ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The 2024 Federal Employees of the Year are Nancy Alcantara, Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold and the Packers Sanitation Leads Team at the Department of Labor. They discovered extensive child labor violations that involved 102 children ages 13 to 17, who were illegally working at 13 meatpacking plants in eight states. This investigation resulted in a historic fine against the company, sweeping changes in how the Labor Department conducts child labor enforcement, and the launch of a national initiative to identify and address child labor.

The achievements of the 2024 winners span many critical areas of our government’s work, including removing tons of hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires, developing new AI tools for patent and trademark systems, and creating the world’s first tornado-resistant building codes. This year’s honorees also pioneered policies to improve government services and the customer experience, revolutionized bee disease diagnosis and treatment, and helped prevent fatalities from roof falls and underground mining disasters.

“As we recognize the winners of this year’s Sammies on the 23^rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – a stark reminder of the vital importance of effective government – we honor their passion, hard work and dedication, along with that of the more than 2 million civil servants who have answered the call to serve our country,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “During a time when federal workers face more scrutiny and damaging rhetoric than ever, these talented individuals have embodied the highest standards of public service in America. With the coming change in presidential administrations, our nonpartisan, merit-based civil service will, as always, provide the critical continuity of government that is so vital for our democracy.”

In addition to the six medalists, the Partnership will present its seventh annual Spirit of Service Award, which recognizes individuals outside the federal workforce who have made a significant contribution to build a better government and a stronger democracy. This year, actor Chris Evans, filmmaker Mark Kassen, and technology entrepreneur Joe Kiani will accept the Spirit of Service Award on behalf of A Starting Point, a video-based platform they co-founded in 2020 to create a more informed electorate and greater civic engagement.

Stand-up comic and television host W. Kamau Bell will serve as the ceremony’s emcee. Special gala speakers will include White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves, OMB Deputy Director Jason Miller, USPTO Director Kathi Vidal, and author and journalist Michael Lewis.

Video tributes to the winners to be shown during the ceremony will feature host Yvette Nicole Brown; actress, filmmaker, actor, writer and musician Mark Duplass; comedian and singer Ana Gasteyer; big-wave surfer and co-inventor of tow-in surfing Laird Hamilton; comedian and actor Matt Walsh; and Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer and; comedian, actress and writer Sasheer Zamata.

This year, 25 finalists were selected from more than 500 nominations across five award categories. The winners were chosen by a prestigious selection committee that included leaders from government, business, charitable organizations, academia, entertainment and the media.  

The 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals recipients:  

Nancy Alcantara, Shannon Rebolledo, Justin Uphold and the Packers Sanitation Investigation Leads Team of the Department of Labor (Chicago) are the recipients of the Federal Employee of the Year Medal, the top honor of the Sammies program. They discovered more than 100 children ages 13 to 17 illegally working on dangerous machinery in 13 meat slaughterhouses across eight states, leading to a large civil penalty and a new approach to child labor law enforcement.

Christopher Mark of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (Pittsburgh, Pa.) will receive the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal. Mark devoted a lengthy federal career to preventing fatalities from roof falls and other underground mining disasters, saving countless lives. The Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal is named after the extraordinary public servant who made a profound difference for our country and was the leading voice on the value of government service. In 2019, the Partnership renamed the Sammies Career Achievement Medal in his honor. The Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal is supported by Ray and Barbara Dalio.  

Jerry Ma, 27, of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (West Lafayette, Ind.) will be awarded with the Emerging Leaders Medal. He developed new technology tools for patent office personnel and the public and led efforts to establish the agency’s approach toward using artificial intelligence for inventions seeking patents.

Amira Boland, formerly of the Office of Management and Budget (Washington, D.C.), is the recipient of the Management Excellence Medal. She pioneered policies to improve government services and the customer experience in areas ranging from newborn care and disaster assistance to renewing passports online.

Marc Levitan and Long Phan of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, Md.) will receive the Science, Technology and Environment Medal. They created the world’s first tornado-resistant building codes, conducting groundbreaking research that will save lives and protect critical facilities like schools, hospitals and emergency centers from extensive property damage.

Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald and Pete Guria of the Environmental Protection Agency (San Francisco) will be awarded with the Safety, Security and International Affairs Medal. They directed more than 300 EPA personnel to remove tons of hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires while respecting local cultural norms and setting standards for federal response teams that followed.

In addition to the six winners, Yan Ping (Judy) Chen and Jay D. Evans of the Department of Agriculture (Beltsville, MD) are the recipients of the annual Service to America Medals People’s Choice Award, which was presented in July. Their groundbreaking work revolutionized bee disease diagnosis and treatment. They introduced cutting-edge technologies to detect virus pathogens and develop novel medicines to enhance bee health and prevent colony collapse. 

The 2024 Service to America Medals program is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors. The premier sponsor for the 2024 Sammies is Mrs. Ronnie F. Heyman and family. National sponsors are Tom and Andi Bernstein, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Sharon Marcil and Tom Monahan, Jennifer and David Millstone, SAIC, Standard Industries, and Patricia A. and George W. Wellde Jr. Capital sponsors are Karan Bhatia, ConantLeadership, Google, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Indra and Raj Nooyi.

Renamed the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals in 2010 to commemorate the organization’s founder, the program has honored more than 760 outstanding federal employees since its inception in 2002. For profiles and videos of current and past honorees, and to nominate a federal employee for a 2025 Service to America Medal, visit servicetoamericamedals.org.  

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees. Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.     

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