Twelve public servants from a number of federal agencies were honored at the 76th annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards for their exceptional service across applied science, basic science, leadership and social science.
The awards, which recognize employees with three to 15 years of federal service, are the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor for government service given from outside the government. They are presented by the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission in partnership with the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences’ Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).
“It is indeed an honor to celebrate winners of the Arthur S. Flemming Award, now in its 76th year, for their impactful leadership in our federal government. They are true heroes,” noted TSPPPA Director Kathryn Newcomer, who is also president of the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission.
The Flemming induction ceremony took place on Nov. 2 at the National Academy of Sciences Building in downtown Washington, D.C., as part of NAPA’s fall meeting. REI Systems, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions for the government, is the lead sponsor of this year’s awards.
Joining the ranks of more than 700 past recipients including Anthony Fauci, Neil Armstrong, Robert Gates and Elizabeth Dole, the latest honorees have made groundbreaking contributions in their fields. Their wide-reaching accomplishments include transforming how victims of terrorism are compensated; mitigating environmental harm caused by legal emissions in disadvantaged communities; developing the research infrastructure that could lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease; and improving drinking water and waste disposal in American Indian and Alaska Native nations.
“These honorees remind us what is possible when public servants combine intellectual rigor with moral purpose and when they see their work not simply as a career, but as a calling,” said George Washington University President Ellen M. Granberg. “Together, they embody the spirit of dedication, curiosity and compassion that defines the very best of federal service.”
Established in 1948, the award is named after Arthur Sherwood Flemming, a distinguished government official who served seven presidential administrations of both parties, most notably as secretary of health, education and welfare under President Dwight Eisenhower. He was a two-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, first from Eisenhower in 1957 and then from President Bill Clinton in 1994, two years before his death.
“This year has been a time of tremendous change for public servants, but one constant has been their steadfast commitment to the mission of serving the American people,” said NAPA President and CEO James-Christian Blockwood. “The National Academy of Public Administration is honored to recognize this year’s Arthur Flemming Award winners who represent the best of our federal workforce: dedicated, innovative leaders seizing opportunity and rising to the challenge of everyday service to make the lives of their fellow Americans better.”
The newest Arthur S. Flemming Award honorees are:
Applied Science and Engineering
Amara Holder, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Julie Hess, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
Shannon Duff, National Institute of Standards & Technology
Basic Science
Benjamin D. Prince, United States Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate
Laura Sinclair, National Institute of Standards & Technology
Leadership and Management
Michelle Stephens, National Institute of Standards & Technology
Supriyo De, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging
David C. Goff, Jr., National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Lt.
Cmdr. Melissa de Vera, Indian Health Service
Legal Achievement
Heidi Nielson, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Nick McDaniel, U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division
Social Science, Clinical Trials and Translational Research
Sung-Yun Pai, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute