The six employees received the 2011 Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Award, which honors individuals whose contributions have been exceptional and whose commitment and professionalism demonstrate the best in public service.
“We have some 30,000 people who work for the District of Columbia government, and we have some extraordinarily dedicated people who work on behalf of the citizens of this city,” said D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. “The six winners tonight are the best among the best in the District of Columbia.”
The winners, who were selected by GW faculty and local and national public administration professionals, were honored at a ceremony and reception last night in GW’s Marvin Center. Each winner received a $7,500 cash prize and a trophy.
“I think it’s incredibly fitting that we host this program. First of all as a university, the themes of civic engagement and public service resonate with our faculty, our students and our staff. We pride ourselves not just being in the District of Columbia but being of the District of Columbia,” said Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. “The commitment of our students to service is just extraordinary. There’s an excitement our students have and our faculty nurture about becoming public servants. It’s almost in the DNA of George Washington University.”
The 2011 Cafritz Award winners are:
- Johnetta Brower Bond: An administrator for the D.C. Office of Pay and Retirement Services, Ms. Bond ensures D.C. employees receive an on-time and accurate paycheck. Under her leadership, three separate and archaic payroll systems were converted into one state-of-the-art structure. The District now saves millions of dollars that were previously spent on contractual technical support for managing the three separate systems.
- Soumya Dey: A supervisory civil engineer for the District Department of Transportation, Mr. Dey revamped D.C.’s parking meter system, creating solar powered and credit-card-accepting meters that earned the city national recognition. During 2010, D.C. parking meter revenues increased from $20 million to $26 million.
- Sakina Khan: As a senior economic planner for the D.C. Office of Planning, Ms. Khan has stimulated emerging neighborhoods and improved economic outcomes for residents. Ms. Khan is also the project manager of the Creative D.C. Action Agenda, a strategy to strengthen the District’s creative economy through business, employment, educational and neighborhood-based approaches.
- Tracie Martin: A self-described “advocate for our children who no longer have a voice,” Ms. Martin is a senior fatality review program specialist for D.C.’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Ms. Martin gathers complex information about the lives and deaths of the District’s young homicide victims in an effort to create policy changes that help prevent future deaths and improve the overall circumstances of children in the District.
- Gordon McDonald: Known as “the resident budget aficionado” in D.C.’s Office for Budget and Planning, Mr. McDonald, deputy chief financial officer, has produced 13 consecutive balanced budgets. Mr. McDonald, who credits his budget expertise to 26 years of experience at the Office for Budget and Planning, has also developed several plans in the past few years to address budget shortfalls, including spending restrictions, revenue development and reprioritization of capital projects.
- Marc Williams: As a recreation assistant at the Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Ward 8, Mr. Williams strives to improve the neighborhood in which he was raised. Mr. Williams, who has a special interest in at-risk youth and young adults, founded the Eagles Nest Youth Association, which provides youth with extracurricular activities. He also launched a music program called “Soul of the Streets,” which teaches youth how to play various instruments, use sound equipment and record their music, and “Shoot Hoops Not Bullets,” a late-night basketball league for 18- to 30-year-old males.
“It has been our privilege to be associated with the Cafritz Awards program since its inception, and this year is especially significant because it represents the 10th anniversary of this very special program,” said James Robinson, executive director of GW’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. “We are honored to recognize this year’s recipients who truly exemplify the meaning and spirit of public service and have consistently gone far beyond their assigned responsibilities.”
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is the largest private local foundation focused exclusively on the Washington metropolitan area. Named for Mr. Cafritz, a commercial and residential D.C. developer from the 1920s to the 1960s, the foundation grants awards in the areas of community service, arts and humanities, education, health and the environment.