Contact Jordan LaPier Director (202) 495-3320 jlapier@ourpublicservice.org Stand-Out Public Servants to Recieve Coveted Service to America Medals October 2, 2013 WASHINGTON –The nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service will present nine Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) on October 3 to public servants whose achievements have improved the lives of countless Americans and others around the world. “We will never get what we want out of our government if its successes aren’t identified, celebrated and replicated,” said Max Stier, Partnership for Public Service president and CEO. “Smart, dedicated public servants are making contributions that change the world for the better every day, and it is especially meaningful that we happen to be recognizing them at a time when Congress has closed the doors on their great work.” The top medal, Federal Employee of the Year, will be presented to a National Institutes of Health team of doctors led by Drs. Julie Segre and Tara Palmore for revolutionizing the way hospital-acquired infections can be identified and halted through genetic sequencing of the bacteria. An estimated 100,000 U.S. patients die annually from hospital-acquired infections. A new award, the Honorary Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, will be presented to Antonio J. Mendez, a former member of the CIA who ran a dangerous clandestine mission that secured the return of six American diplomats in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis. Mendez’s work, immortalized in the Academy Award winning movie “Argo,” is representative of and pays tribute to thousands of intelligence officers who have helped protect our national security, but whose exploits remain behind the cloak of secrecy. Additional Service to America Medals will go to federal workers whose achievements range from eradicating polio in India to landing an exploratory vehicle on Mars to saving the Air Force more than $1 billion in 2012 by reducing energy consumption. The recipients of the twelfth annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals are: Orice Williams Brown, Career Achievement Medal Managing Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment Government Accountability Office For two decades, Brown served as a trusted expert for members of Congress on financial regulatory matters, carefully examining and offering recommendations in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis that helped improve the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief program, the Wall Street regulatory reform law and initiatives to prevent housing foreclosures. Daniel Madrzykowski, Citizen Services MedalFire Protection EngineerNational Institute of Standards and Technology Madrzykowski conducted sophisticated research that led to innovative ways to fight fires, ranging from improved ventilation and fire-suppression tactics to the protective equipment worn by firefighters. His initiatives have been widely adopted across the nation, saving lives and protecting property. John MacKinnon and the Operation Holitna Team, Homeland Security and Law Enforcement MedalGroup Supervisor, Immigration and Customs EnforcementHomeland Security Investigations MacKinnon and his team combined old-fashioned police work with creative new forensic investigatory techniques to rescue more than 167 child pornography victims and arrest 54 predators who preyed on them.David Lavery and the Mars Science Laboratory Team, Science and Environment MedalProgram Executive for Solar System Exploration, National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationLavery shepherded the development and launch of NASA’s Curiosity rover, the robotic vehicle that is exploring the geology and climate of Mars and helping assess the potential for a future human mission to the Red Planet. Hamid Jafari, National Security and International Affairs MedalMedical OfficerCenters for Disease Control and PreventionJafari led a global initiative to successfully eradicate polio in India, overseeing the delivery of 1 billion doses of vaccine to 172 million young children each year between 2008 and 2011 to stem the crippling and potentially fatal disease. Julie Segre, Tara Palmore and Team, Federal Employees of the YearSenior Investigator (Segre) and Deputy Hospital Epidemiologist (Palmore)National Institutes of Health Segre and Palmore stopped the spread of a deadly hospital-acquired infection through the first-ever use of genome sequencing to identify the source and trace the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, creating a groundbreaking model for the health care industry. Kevin T. Geiss, Management Excellence MedalDeputy Assistant Secretary for EnergyDepartment of the Air ForceChampioned the safe use of alternative fuels to ensure energy independence for combat and support missions around the globe and reduced U.S. Air Force fuel and energy consumption, saving more than $1 billion in 2012 alone. Andrew Rabens, Call to Service MedalSpecial Advisor for Youth Engagement, Bureau of Near East AffairsDepartment of StateRabens has helped build strong relationships with aspiring young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa, organizing a conference that brought together young people from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the Palestinian Territories to share ideas and learn about American democracy. Antonio J. Mendez, Honorary Service to America MedalCentral Intelligence Agency (Ret.) Mendez is the real-life hero who orchestrated an elaborate clandestine operation immortalized in the movie “Argo,” to free six American diplomats trapped in Iran in 1980. This incredible achievement was part of a long CIA career in which he helped change the identity and appearance of thousands of U.S. spies during the Cold War by creating disguises, fabricating documents and convincing cover stories. The Service to America Medal recipients were nominated by colleagues familiar with their work and selected by a committee that includes 15 leaders in government, academia, the private sector, media and philanthropy. More than 300 nominations were submitted for consideration this year. For profiles and videos of the medalists and to nominate a federal employee for a 2014 Sammies visit servicetoamericamedals.org. National sponsors for the Service to America Medals are Bloomberg, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Boston Consulting Group, Chevron, ConantLeadership and United Technologies Corporation. The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals is named in memory of business leader and visionary philanthropist Samuel J. Heyman who founded the Partnership for Public Service to revitalize our federal government and to inspire a new generation to serve. www.opswebdev.wpengine.com for more information about the Partnership. ###