Secretary of Commerce Joins President in Recognizing Outstanding Executive Leadership in Government

Department of Commerce Receives Twenty Presidential Awards -- Most Ever in Agency's History

Washington, DC - While leading a business development mission in Russia, Commerce Secretary Don Evans joined President George W. Bush today in recognizing a small group of federal employees with the Presidential Rank Award. Twenty awards were presented to Department of Commerce employees for outstanding leadership and public service, the most the Department has ever received. The awards were presented today by the President at an historic event at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

The event was a celebration of public service with the President thanking both career and political members of his team for their extraordinary efforts during the current crisis as well as their day-to-day efforts on behalf of American citizens.

Presidential Rank Awards are reserved for career senior executives who have a record of achievement that is recognized throughout the agency and/or is acknowledged on a national or international level.

"I am pleased to join the President today in congratulating today's award winners," said Secretary Evans. "I am particularly pleased to announce that today's award recipients include twenty of the Department of Commerce's finest senior executives."

Each year, the President confers the rank of Distinguished Executive and Meritorious Executive on a select group of career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time. These senior executives are outstanding leaders, who consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and a relentless commitment to public service. Through their personal conduct and results-oriented leadership, they have earned and kept a high degree of public confidence and trust. They have demonstrated their success in balancing the needs and perspectives of customers, stakeholders, and employees with organizational results. Executives from across Government are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by citizen panels, and, finally, designated by the President.

There are two categories of awards. The Distinguished Executive rank is awarded to leaders who achieve extraordinary results. Only 1 percent of the SES may earn this award. The Meritorious Executive rank is awarded to leaders for sustained accomplishments. Only 5 percent of SES members may receive the award.

Below are the Department of Commerce executive award winners. Four Department of Commerce employees received the Distinguished Executive Award and sixteen received the Meritorious Executive Award.

Distinguished:

Dr. Daniel L. Albritton - Director, Aeronomy Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Recognition for sustained extraordinary accomplishments as an eminent scientist and exceptional leadership of the Aeronomy Laboratory. His leadership has led to meeting pressing national and international needs for scientific information in three major areas: ozone-layer depletion, air quality, and climate.

Robert M. Anderson - Assistant Commissioner for Trademark Operations, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Recognition for leading the transformation of Trademark Operations from an office with labor-intensive, paper-based processes to one effectively leveraging 21st century technologies to benefit its customers and employees. His efforts have resulted in a vastly improved process for registering trademarks, thereby enhancing U.S. commerce and the economy by encouraging investment and productivity in the U.S. marketplace.

Dr. John S. Landefeld - Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Recognition for responsibility for the world-recognized excellence of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts (i.e. the Gross Domestic Product).

Laron Jensen - Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Operations, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration. Mr. Jensen is being recognized for his sustained record of extraordinary accomplishment in support of the national interest in the field of international trade and commercial development, beginning with his outstanding performance as Commercial Counselor in Egypt from 1995 to 1997, Indonesia from 1997 to May 1999 through his excellent leadership in the International Trade Administration's Office of International Operations1999-2000."

Meritorious:

Margaret A. Davidson - Acting Assistant Administrator, NOAA. Recognition of leading the strategic planning team charged with defining NOAA's vision for sustaining healthy coasts. This team is one of the broadest and most complex of the seven established to help achieve NOAA's goals.

Dr. David L. Evans - Assistant Administrator, NOAA. Recognition for outstanding leadership which led to groundbreaking innovations in integrating environmental stewardship and public policy. Specifically, he realigned internal structures to ensure coordination of science and operations, improve customer service, and establish sound management and stability in two fragmented organizations.

Mary M. Glackin - Deputy Assistant Administrator, NOAA. Recognition for responsibility for the successful development and deployment of the system that provides National Weather Service forecasters with the capability of issuing greatly improved severe weather warnings and forecasts with a reduced workforce. Her managerial skills have saved the Government millions of dollars.

K. David Holmes, Jr. - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security, Office of the Secretary. Recognition for restoring the credibility of the Department's security program and, more importantly, ensuring the safety of its personnel and facilities in a worldwide environment in which the threat of terrorism is increasingly common.

Ed Kazenske – Deputy Commissioner for Patent Resources and Planning, USPTO. Recognition for designing a framework for an efficient and effective organization to serve American inventors by taking the lead in providing a platform for electronic commerce at the Patent and Trademark Office. This includes electronic filing and processing of all applications, which has enabled customers to use the Internet to request status information, place orders for products and services, and access patent and trademark data.

David M. Kennedy - Chief, Hazardous Materials Response and Assessment Division, NOAA. Recognition for guiding a small organization within NOS to become a leader in environmental pollution response and assessment that is recognized both nationally and internationally for leadership, technical expertise, and oil spill response capabilities.

Stephen G. Kunin - Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, USPTO. Recognition for designing a framework for the development of policy and procedures in support of today's patent system, which has helped ensure incentives for great innovations and a system that forms a foundation for our knowledge-based economy.

Dr. Ants Leetmaa - Director, Climate Prediction Center, NOAA. Recognition for establishing an operational seasonal climate forecasting capability by linking weather and climate forecasts for environmental risk management. This seamless suite of products provides the Nation with information on climate-related threats such as drought, excessive heat or cold, and links climate regimes to extreme weather events, such as hurricanes.

Dr. Alexander E. MacDonald - Director, Forecast Systems Laboratory, NOAA. Recognition for directing a research laboratory charged with the transfer of technological developments in atmospheric and ocean research to the Nation's operational atmospheric and oceanic services. He has provided outstanding leadership in accomplishing this mission, which has resulted in improvements in forecasts and warnings that save lives and property.

Craig R. O'Connor - Deputy General Counsel for Atmospheric and Ocean Research and Services, NOAA. Recognition for directing the National Resources Damages Assessment and Restoration Program from infancy to a nationally and internationally recognized and respected environmental protection and restoration effort. This has resulted in the recovery of more than $300 million for use in restoring the nation's natural resources injured or destroyed as the result of oil spills and hazardous waste discharges.

Dr. James F. W. Purdom - Director, Office of Research and Applications, NOAA. Recognition for directing satellite remote sensing research, development, and applications activities for the world's largest civil operational environmental satellite program. He is known internationally and chairs the World Meteorological Organization's group that is responsible for the redesign of the global observing system and assuring improved utilization of satellite data worldwide.

Marvin D. Raines - Associate Director, Field Operations, Bureau of the Census. Recognition for leading the recruiting strategy for the massive field operations of Census 2000. This effort resulted in hiring nearly a million individuals, reduced turnover, and keeping critical operations fully staffed and on schedule.

Dr. Michael P. Sissenwine - Science and Research Director, Northeast Region, NOAA. Recognition for having effectively increased the scientific credibility, relevance, and responsiveness of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). His publications have spearheaded changes in the direction of research for living marine resources and he is the architect of the most important NMFS reports, which serve as report cards on the Nation's stewardship of living marine resources.

John H. Thompson - Principal Associate Director for Programs, Bureau of the Census. Recognition for responsibility for the 2000 Decennial Census, the Nation's largest peacetime mobilization and for leading the Bureau's unprecedented success in accomplishing the goals of the Census. All activities were carried out under the most intense political, social, and legal scrutiny in history.

Dr. Louis W. Uccellini - Director, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA. Recognition for leading the transformation of the largest NWS forecast office from a paper-based operation to one which accesses all of the world's numerical model output and generates weather forecast guidance products on computer-based workstations. This unit issues over 50 percent more products with one-third fewer staff. Also directed a "mission impossible" activity when a new super computer was installed under extraordinary circumstances resulting from a fire which destroyed the operational computer shortly before the planned installation of the new computer. This was accomplished without any interruption of services.

Robert S. Connan - Senior Commercial Officer, Sydney, Australia; U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration. Mr. Connan is being recognized for his sustained record of extraordinary accomplishment in support of the national interest in the field of international trade and commercial development, beginning with his work on Showcase Europe (SCE) in 1994-95 through his innovative and exemplary performance in Italy 1999-2000."

For more information on the Presidential Rank Awards, go to www.opm.gov.