Partnership for Public Service announces finalists for the 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals®

May 3, 2024

Finalists for the “Oscars” of government service make the nation safer, healthier and more prosperous

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today announced the 25 finalists for the 2024 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals®, the premier awards program honoring excellence and innovation in the career federal service.

“This year’s Sammies honorees once again demonstrate the importance of having a competent, merit-based, nonpartisan career federal workforce striving to make our nation safer, healthier and more prosperous,” said Partnership President and CEO Max Stier. “The creativity, ingenuity, tenacity and determination demonstrated by these honorees and the hundreds more nominated for consideration serve as a powerful reminder of the remarkable work our career federal employees do every day on behalf of all of us.”

This year’s honorees are recognized for their efforts to assist after disasters such as the Maui wildfires and the collapse of an I-95 bridge in Philadelphia; to revolutionize the way the federal government uses new technologies to work and serve the public more effectively; to transform how patients access drugs and medical information; to protect America’s standing and interests around the world; to promote a cleaner environment and invest in American communities; to hold bad actors accountable for harms to the public; and much more.

Information about this year’s 25 finalists, some recognized as individuals and some as teams, can be found at www.servicetoamericamedals.org/honorees. In total, 43 individuals are recognized. The finalists will be celebrated at a reception on Thursday, May 9, attended by agency leaders, colleagues, family members and leaders in the business, philanthropic and media communities.

As is tradition, the announcement of the 2024 Sammies finalists marks the beginning of Public Service Recognition Week, which since 1985 has honored public servants at the federal, state, county, local and tribal levels during the first full week of May.

The finalists for the 2024 Service to America Medals are contenders in five categories: the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement medal; Emerging Leaders; Science, Technology and Environment; Safety, Security and International Affairs; and Management Excellence. All finalists are eligible to be selected as Federal Employee of the Year. Winners will be announced ahead of an awards ceremony on Sept. 11 at the Kennedy Center.

The 25 finalists are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award. Beginning Sunday, May 5, the public can vote online for the individual or team they believe has made the most significant contributions in public service. The People’s Choice winner will be announced in early July.

The award winners will be selected by a blue-ribbon committee of leaders in academia, business, entertainment, government, media and philanthropy. The 2024 selection committee members are: Craig Abod, president of Carahsoft; Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.); Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.); John Bridgeland, president of Civic Enterprises; Campbell Brown, senior adviser at TollBit; Hugh Forrest, co-president of SXSW; Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami; Nora Gardner, partner at McKinsey and a member of the Partnership for Public Service Board of Directors; Doreen Greenwald, national president of NTEU; Everett Kelley, president of AFGE; Candice McFarlane, chief creative officer at Cinereach; Sara Mogulescu, president of the Volcker Alliance; Steven Olikara, president of Bridge Entertainment Labs; Erika Soto Lamb, vice president of social impact strategy at Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios at Paramount Global; Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service; Susan Thomas, president of the Melville Charitable Trust; Toni Townes-Whitley, CEO of SAIC; and Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent at PBS NewsHour and the 2023 Spirit of Service awardee.

Sponsors for the Service to America Medals include Premier sponsor Mrs. Ronnie F. Heyman and Family; National sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Charina Endowment Fund, Sharon Marcil and Tom Monahan, Jennifer and David Millstone, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAIC, Standard Industries and Patricia A. and George W. Wellde, Jr.; and Capital sponsors Tom and Andi Bernstein, Chevron, ConantLeadership, Google, Lockheed Martin and Microsoft Federal.

Renamed the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals in 2010 to commemorate the Partnership’s founder, the program has honored more than 750 outstanding federal employees since its inception in 2002. For profiles of current and past honorees, visit servicetoamericamedals.org.

During the past 22 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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