Flemming Awards Marked 75 Years of Honoring Government Service Excellence

Twelve public servants from a number of federal agencies were honored at the 75th 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 George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

"Flemming Award winners serve as outstanding role models for our public administration and public policy and all aspiring public servants-they are dedicated and impactful federal government leaders who work in the American public's interest," said Kathryn Newcomer, TSPPPA professor of public policy and public administration at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and president of the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission. "It is an honor and privilege to meet these real heroes."

Joining the ranks of more than 700 past recipients including Anthony Fauci, Neil Armstrong, Robert Gates and Elizabeth Dole, the 2023 honorees were singled out for groundbreaking contributions in their fields. Their accomplishments have included rescuing human trafficking victims, protecting livestock from endemic diseases, pioneering new concepts in addiction treatment, ensuring precise timestamps for billions of dollars of electronic financial transactions and strengthening communities' responses to pathogen exposure.

"The National Academy of Public Administration is honored to co-sponsor these awards with George Washington University," said Terry Gerton, NAPA president and CEO. "It is so important to share these amazing stories with the public and to encourage these incredible people to continue their work. Many Flemming awardees go on to be elected fellows of the academy later in their careers, and we are delighted to recognize their already outstanding accomplishments."

The award ceremony took place on Nov. 13, at the 2024 NAPA Fall Meeting. Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, spoke at the ceremony about the significance of the award. Dodaro received a Flemming award in 1979 and a lifetime achievement award in 2016.

Established in 1948, the awards are named after Arthur Sherwood Flemming, a distinguished government official who served seven presidential administrations of both parties and was president of three higher-education institutions. Flemming was a two-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, first from President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 and then from President Bill Clinton in 1994. Among his many accomplishments, Flemming was a fierce advocate for social and racial equity.

The 2023 Arthur S. Flemming Award recipients are:

Applied Science and Engineering
Aspen M. Workman, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Kenneth S. Obenberger, Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Defense
Douglas Morton, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Basic Science
Shannon Griffin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Charles Rotimi, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Leadership and Management
TenaVel T. Thomas, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Jeffrey A. Sherman, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce
Blair Pasalic, U.S. Department of Energy
Alison Fong, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CDR Nancy Tian, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
M. Khair ElZarrad, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Social Science, Clinical Trials and Translational Research
Lorenzo Leggio, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services