Thursday, September 20, 2007


WASHINGTON, Sep. 20, 2007 (PR Newswire delivered by Newstex) -- The Partnership for Public Service tonight presented nine Service to America Medals to outstanding civil servants for their high-impact contributions critical to the safety, health and well-being of Americans -- at a Washington, D.C. gala held in their honor.

The Service to America Medals have earned a reputation as one of the most prestigious awards dedicated to celebrating America's civil servants.

The top medal - Federal Employee of the Year - went to Dr. Douglas Lowy and Dr. John Schiller, renowned NIH scientists whose discoveries led to new cervical cancer vaccines. Cervical cancer is the number two cause of death among women, worldwide.

Additional Service to America Medals were awarded to public servants who boast achievements in fighting nuclear terrorism; cancer research; weapons technology; nuclear waste cleanup; foreign affairs; public housing - and helping wounded soldiers use technology to re-enter the workforce, through the world's largest electronics accommodations program.

Medalists come from the Departments of Justice, Defense, State, Energy, HUD, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and the Navy. They work and live in Washington D.C. Annapolis, Cincinnati, Denver, and Tampa.

'The Service to America Medals are important because they tell the true stories of the remarkable work that our federal employees do each and every day. There is not a day that passes where government does not touch our lives in some way - whether it is securing our homeland, or conducting cutting edge research to cure disease,' said Max Stier, Partnership for Public Service President.

The 2007 Service to America Medal recipients are:

Dr. Douglas Lowy and Dr. John Schiller, Federal Employee of the Year Medalists. Lowy, Laboratory Chief, and Schiller, Senior Investigator, both work at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Lowy and Schiller made discoveries that led to the development of vaccines for the virus that causes a majority of cervical cancers.

Nicole Faison, Call to Service Medalist. Faison is Director, Office of Public Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. Faison created an income verification program that eliminated more than $2 billion in fraudulent payments by HUD's rental assistance programs, removing the program from the Government Accountability Office's 'high risk list.'

Dr. David Vesely, Career Achievement Medalist. Vesely is Chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. Vesely discovered three hormones made by the heart that benefit the treatment of congestive heart failure, kidney failure and cancer.

Dinah Cohen, Citizen Services Medalist. Cohen is Director, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) at the U.S. Department of Defense, TRICARE Management Activity in Falls Church, Virginia. Cohen leads the world's largest assistive technology program, filling more than 60,000 accommodation requests for people with disabilities, including 2,400 accommodations for wounded service members.

Tracy Mustin, Homeland Security Medalist. Mustin is Director, Office of Second Line of Defense at the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration in Washington, D.C. Mustin is leading an initiative to put radiological and nuclear detectors at seaports, airports and border crossings across the globe, providing vital defenses against nuclear terrorism.

Edward Peter Messmer, International Affairs Medalist. Messmer recently returned from assignment as Special Assistant to the Ambassador, at the U.S. Department of State in Beirut, Lebanon. Messmer averted an impending health crisis during the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli armed conflict by helping to get fuel reserves into the country, which kept major power plants open.

Dr. John S. Morgan and the President's DNA Initiative Team, Justice and Law Enforcement Medalists. Morgan is Deputy Director for Science at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C. Morgan created a program that has helped solve thousands of cold cases and dramatically expanded the capacity of local law enforcement to utilize DNA evidence.

Anh Duong, National Security Medal. Duong is Science Advisor, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and Strategy at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division in Washington, D.C. Duong designed the thermobaric bomb credited with helping win the war in Afghanistan -- and currently develops anti-terrorism technologies for the Pentagon.

Frazer Lockhart and the Rocky Flats Cleanup Team, Science and Environment Medal. Lockhart is Manager, Rocky Flats Project at the U.S. Department of Energy in Colorado. Lockhart completed the first successful cleanup of a former nuclear weapons facility 60 years ahead of schedule and $30 billion under budget.

The Service to America Medal winners were nominated by colleagues familiar with their work and selected by a committee that includes U.S. Senator John Warner; Colleen M. Kelley, National President, National Treasury Employees Union; Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express Company; and Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO, Motion Picture Association of America. Nearly 600 nominations - a record number - were submitted for medal consideration this year.

National sponsors include Siemens, our founding partner, and DuPont.

Nominations for 2008 will be accepted beginning Thursday, September 20, 2007 at www.servicetoamericamedals.org. Additionally, profile stories and videos celebrating the work of each 9 medal winners are posted on the Web site.

SOURCE Partnership for Public Service



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