Washington, DC -U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Associate Director for Federal Investigative Services, Kathy Dillaman recently named four Federal investigators Agents of the Year in a ceremony at the Theodore Roosevelt Building in Washington D.C.

"I am pleased to recognize these four agents for their hard work and outstanding performance over the past year," said Dillaman. "Federal investigators perform an essential role in ensuring the safety of the Federal Government and the American people. These recipients can be proud of their accomplishments and have set an example for future investigators to aspire to."

Agent of the Year is a highly selective award in which candidates are judged on overall performance, as well as additional measures such as volunteer efforts, and mentoring new agents. Agents were selected from over 1,500 Federal field investigators in OPM's Federal Investigative Services Division.

OPM's 2007 Agents of the Year are:

Lisa Hopp of Arizona

Michael Grace of Texas

Gary Novotny of Virginia

Charles (Chuck) Rozzi of New Jersey

OPM is responsible for conducting over 90% of the background investigations for the Federal Government, and expects to conduct over 2.3 million this fiscal year.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.