The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, also known as "the Sammies", honor members of the federal government workforce, highlighting the work of employees making significant contributions to the governance of the United States. The awards are considered "the Oscars" of American government service.Stand-Out Public Servants Receive Coveted Service to America Medals at Washington, D.C. Gala; "Oscars" of Government Service Recipients Work in Washington, D.C., Colorado, Florida, California and Haiti (September 16, 2010); see also Timothy B. Clark, Making a Difference, National Journal (October 7, 2006). The Sammies accordingly celebrate excellence in the federal merit service.Gabrielle Maxey, Risky Business, The University of Memphis Magazine (Fall 2010); see also Marie Gilbert, "Hagerstown man one of 34 finalists for the 2011 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals", Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, Maryland) (August 27, 2011) at 1 (reporting on the finalist Daniel P. Meyer from the Department of Defense).
Background The awards have been presented annually since 2002 by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence in the U.S. federal civil service, and are named for Samuel J. Heyman, the organization's founder.
Selection process The Sammies are chosen from nominations collected each winter, and narrowed down to about 30 finalists announced mid-spring of each year during Public Service Recognition Week. The finalists are assessed, and from their ranks, eight awardees are selected by early fall. The Sammies selection committee is composed of nationally known journalists, political leaders, educators, and executives of large corporations. The eight awards cover the various sectors of federal public service. Honorees are chosen for their commitment and innovation, as well as the impact of their work on addressing the needs of the republic. Awardees are announced each fall at a dinner and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The Sammies finalists are those federal employees confronting complex issues of governance, including environmental, national security, and economic challenges. One criterion of the award is to qualify from among a dynamic group of talented, bright individuals working on behalf of the American people. The awards are organized and presented by the non-profit organization Partnership for Public Service (PPS).
Award changes Beginning in 2025, nominees were no longer named for specific categories. In 2026, the number of nominee submissions from individual agencies was greatly reduced, and some agencies did not participate at all. Additionally, according to Max Stier, the chief executive of the PPS, a number of nominees who were named requested that their names not be considered or not made public, due to fear of retribution or retaliation for having too much attention drawn to them.
Recipients
2000s Source: WinnersCategory2002William Fleming & Ben Herren Katharine Blodgett Gebbie
Daniel Weinberg
Rachel Billingslea
Kenneth Conepcion
Robert Rutherford
Alfred League
Donald SweeneyFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2003Stephen McHale
James P. Bagain
Nelson Hernandez (among others)
Denise Johnson
Alyson McFarland
Earl Stockdale
Riaz Awan
Paul Polski
Edward J. Needham (among others)Federal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2004Robert F. Clifford Prudence Bushnell
Eileen Harrington (among others)
Nicole Nelson-Jean
Deborah S. Jin
Stephen E. Browning
Peter Darling (among others)
Brad GairFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2005Orlando Figueroa Barbara Turner
Terence Lutes
Kevin McAleenan
Subhashree Madhavan (among others)
Tobin Bradley
Elizabeth Grossman
Alan Estevez
Steven BiceFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2006Nancy Cox William Daniel Phillips
Thomas Casadevall (among others)
Christina Sanford
Norden E. Huang
Mark S. Ward
Nancy Jo Powell
W. Martin Harrell
Ron McNealFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2007Douglas R. Lowly & John T. Schiller David Vesely
Dinah F. B. Cohen
Nicole Faison
Frazer Lockhart (among others)
Tracy Mustin
John S. Morgan (among others)
Anh Duong
Edward MessmerFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2008Richard Greene Stephen O. Andersen
Rajiv Jain
Alain D. Carballeyra
Steven G. Chalk
Mary Katherine Friedrich
Mark Pletcher
Eddie BernardFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs2009Janet Kemp Thomas Alexander Waldmann
Michael German
Clare D. Rowley
Patricia Guerry
T. Allan Comp
Amy Meyer
Donald Burke & Sean P. Dennehy
Walter Benjamin FisherowFederal Employee of the Year Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement
Citizen Services
Emerging Leaders
Science and Environment
Science and Environment
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
Safety, Security and International Affairs
2010s 2010 WinnersCategoryPius Bannis (USCIS)Federal Employee of the YearSusan Solomon (NOAA)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementShane Kelley & Eva Ristow (Social Security Administration)Citizen ServicesSaskia van Gendt (EPA)Emerging LeadersJeffrey M. Baker (Department of Energy)Science and Environment Jamie L. Konstas (FBI)Safety, Security and International AffairsTeri Glass and team (U.S. Army)Safety, Security and International AffairsSandra K. Brooks (U.S. Navy)Safety, Security and International Affairs 2011 WinnersCategoryPaul A. Hsieh (USGS)Federal Employee of the YearAlfonso Batres (VA)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementDiane K. Braunstein (Social Security Administration)Citizen ServicesAnn S. Martin (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network)Emerging LeadersWilliam A. Gahl (NIH)Science, Technology, and Environment Charles Heurich and team (U.S. Department of Justice)Safety, Security and International AffairsJames Michael Duncan and team (NASA)Safety, Security and International AffairsC. Norman Coleman (NIH)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2012 WinnersCategoryLynne Meryl Mofenson(NIH)Federal Employee of the YearJames Cash (National Transportation Safety Board)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementElliot B. Branch (Department of the Navy)Management ExcellenceSusan Angell & Mark Johnston (among others) (Housing and Urban Development, VA)Citizen ServicesJacob M. Taylor (National Institute of Standards and Technology)Emerging LeadersNeal S. Young (NIH)Science and EnvironmentLouis Milione (among others) (Drug Enforcement Administration)Safety, Security and International AffairsNael Samha & Thomas Roland Jr. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)Safety, Security and International AffairsCharles Scoville (VA)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2013 WinnersCategoryJulie Segre & Tara Palmore (among others)(NIH)Federal Employee of the YearOrice Williams Brown (GAO)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementKevin T. Geiss (Department of the Air Force)Management ExcellenceDaniel Madrzykowski (National Institute of Standards and Technology)Citizen ServicesAndrew Rabens (Department of State)Emerging LeadersDavid Lavery (among others) (NASA)Science and EnvironmentJohn MacKinnon (among others) (Homeland Security)Safety, Security and International AffairsHamid Jafari (CDC)Safety, Security and International AffairsAntonio J. Mendez (CIA)(General Winner)
2014 WinnersCategoryRana Hajjeh (among others) (CDC)Federal Employee of the YearEdwin Kneedler (Department of Justice)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementAlan J. Lindenmoyer (NASA)Management ExcellenceMichael Byrne (FCC)Citizen ServicesSara Meyers (Housing and Urban Development)Emerging LeadersWilliam A. Bauman and Ann M. Spungen (VA)Science and EnvironmentOmar Aybar & Reginald France (among others) (Department of Health and Human Services)Safety, Security and International AffairsSean Young & Benjamin Tran (Department of the Air Force)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2015 WinnersCategorySteven A. Rosenberg (NIH)Federal Employee of the YearHyun Soon Lillehoj (Department of Agriculture)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementEdward C. Hugler ([Department of Labor)Management ExcellenceJean Zenklusen & Carolyn Hutter (among others) (NIH)People's Choice AwardLucile Jones (USGS)Citizen ServicesAdam R. Schildge (Department of Transportation)Emerging LeadersJacob E. Moss (EPA)Science and EnvironmentMia Beers (among others) (USAID)Safety, Security and International AffairsRon Ross (National Institute of Standards and Technology)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2016 WinnersCategoryPaul McGann, Jean D. Moody-Williams, Dennis Wagner (Medicare/Medicaid)Federal Employee of the YearKathleen Hogan (Department of Energy)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementWilliam Gregory Burel (CDC)Management ExcellenceEdward Grace (among others) (USFWS)People's Choice AwardLisa M. Jones (Department of the Treasury)Citizen ServicesTate Jarrow (Secret Service)Emerging LeadersJaques Reifman (among others) (Department of the Army)Science and EnvironmentKirk Yeager (FBI)Safety, Security and International AffairsThomas Mariani, S. O'Rourke, S. Himmelhoch (Department of Justice)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2017 WinnersCategoryPhillip Brooks, Byron Bunker, & Josh Van Eaton (USEPA, (Department of Justice)Federal Employee of the YearTedd V. Ellerbrock (CDC)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementCourtney Lias & Stayce Beck (among others) (FDA)Management ExcellenceSurabhi Shah (among others) (USEPA)People's Choice AwardFlora M. Jordan (Marine Corps Systems Command)Promising Innovations MedalRory A. Cooper (VA)Science and EnvironmentTimothy P. Camus (among others) (Department of the Treasury)Safety, Security and International AffairsAlex Mahoney (among others) (USAID)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2018 WinnersCategoryDaniel L. Kastner (Department of Health and Human Services)Federal Employee of the YearMarshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp (CDC)Paul A. Volcker Career AchievementMarcella Jacobs (among others) (VA)Management ExcellenceAlison Smith (Department of Defense)People's Choice AwardJeff BezosSpirit of Service AwardParimal Kopardekar (NASA)Promising Innovations MedalMargaret Honein (CDC)Science and EnvironmentKaren Dodge & Margaret Moeser (among others) (FTC, Department of Justice)Safety, Security and International AffairsAndrew M. Herscowitz (among others) (USAID)Safety, Security and International Affairs
2019