Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management convened a panel of 12 distinguished private citizens in Denver, Colorado to consider nominations for an elite award given to federal senior executives.

Members of the Presidential Rank Award Meritorious Review Board reviewed the accomplishments of nominees -- career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), for the 2005 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award with the Bush Administration's goals and criteria for sustained accomplishment in the management of federal programs and services.

Following a review of the panel's work, OPM Acting Director Dan G. Blair will make his recommendations to President George W. Bush, who will make the final selections and announce the award recipients later this year.

"We tasked the Board with the assignment of recognizing excellence in public service," said Blair. "We appreciate the members taking their own time to review, rate and assess nominees in an effort to honor outstanding contributions by outstanding civil servants."

Second only to the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award is a high honor bestowed upon career federal employees. The award recognizes members of the career SES, the federal government's top cadre of managers and senior professionals, who have a consistent record of integrity, industry and commitment to public service. Members of these communities manage many of the nation's most vital programs in defense, the environment, energy, agriculture and others.

The Presidential Rank Awards Program was created in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and continues to recognize the best career employees in the Senior Executive Service (SES) and at the Senior or Scientific/Professional Levels (SL/ST). 

The SES, SL and ST are comprised of over 7,000 dedicated employees out of a federal work force of 1.8 million, and members are highly valued for their management, leadership and technical skills. And while they are small in numbers, an even smaller population is recognized each year with a Rank Award.

Over the next two months, Meritorious Presidential Rank Award Review Boards will meet across the country to consider nominees for the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive and Senior Professional. The remaining two Meritorious Presidential Rank Award Boards are to be held in Minneapolis, MN and Philadelphia, PA.

Members of the Denver Presidential Rank Award Review Board are:

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