Tech honorees get share of the 'Sammies' spotlight

The Partnership for Public Service on Oct. 7 announced its annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America awards (also known as "Sammies") to eight public servants in recognition of their outstanding achievements and efforts to improve the lives of both Americans and our global community.

Edward C. Hugler, deputy assistant secretary for operations at the Department of Labor, will receive the Management Excellence Medal for his work securing sensitive economic data prior to its release to the public; preventing Labor's financial system from collapsing following its service provider's bankruptcy; and leading the creation of Benefits.gov, which links citizens with over 1,200 government assistance programs.

Ron Ross, fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will be honored with the Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Medal for developing the first set of unified information-security standards and guidelines that aim to protect federal agencies from malicious actors as well as reduce operating costs. Ross' efforts to secure personal information and critical operations for both public and private sector organizations has also secured his place as GCN's 2015 Government Executive of the Year.

This year's honorees also include:

Adam R. Schildge, Call to Service Medal
Senior Program Analyst, Federal Transit Administration

Hyun Soon Lillehoj, Career Achievement Medal
Senior Research Molecular Biologist, Agricultural Research Service

Jacob E. Moss, Science and Environment Medal
Senior Advisor, Environmental Protection Agency

Lucile Jones, Citizen Services Medal
Science Advisor for Risk Reduction, U.S. Geological Survey

Mia Beers and the U.S. Ebola Disaster Assistance Response Team, National Security and International Affairs Medal
Director, Humanitarian Policy and Global Engagement Division, U.S. Agency for International Development

Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Federal Employee of the Year
Chief, Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute