The Partnership for Public Service hosted their 2021 Service to America Medals ceremony, known as the Sammies, on October 28, 2021. For context, “The Partnership is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to help make our government more effective, and the Sammies honorees represent the many exceptional federal workers who are doing just that—breaking down barriers, overcoming huge challenges and getting results. Whether they’re defending the homeland, protecting the environment, ensuring public safety, making scientific and medical discoveries, or responding to natural and man-made disasters, these men and women put service before self and make a lasting difference.”

The federal employees honored this year include Dr. Kizzmkkia S. Corbett, Ph.D, and Dr. Barney S. Graham, M.D, Ph.D, both of whom received the Federal Employee of the Year Award for their outstanding contributions towards the creation of safe and effective vaccines for Covid-19.

Ana B. Hinjosa, Eric Choy, and their team received the People’s Choice Award for their enforcement efforts against companies attempting to import goods produced by forced labor in China and other countries as part of an effort to combat modern slavery.

Michelle Daniels, Charles D. Eldridge, Ryan E. Jones, and the Office of Public and Indian Housing Foster Youth to Independence team won the Award for Management Excellence for their creation of a program to offer housing assistance and social services to young people who have aged out of foster care, in order to help them become self-sufficient and avoid homelessness.

Evan R. Kwerel, Ph.D, was awarded the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award for a career spent pioneering the use of competitive auctions to allocate the public airwaves, ensuring fair access to the airwaves while raising over $200 billion in government funding.

These are only a few of the dedicated public servants who were honored at the 2021 Sammies. To read more about their efforts, and about the other public servants who were honored, click here.