Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Dan G. Blair today welcomed 12 private citizens (see list below) from the Nation's Capital to consider nominations for the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive and Senior Professional.

Members of the board reviewed the accomplishments of nominees -- career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and Senior-Level (SL) and Scientific and Professional (ST) communities -- for the 2005 Presidential Award of Distinguished Rank. Nominees are reviewed against criteria for improving government services. In most Federal agencies, nominations were made by supervisors and presented to agency panels composed of senior management officials. The nominations were then sent to agency heads and then to OPM for final board review.

Following a review of a total of five panels' work, the OPM Director will send his recommendations to President George W. Bush, who will make the final selections and announce the award recipients later this year.

"This board represents some of the best America has to offer. They are exceptional citizens committed to selecting those distinguished public servants who have helped make the U.S. Civil Service a world-class model," said Blair. "These leaders are entrusted with a great and noble responsibility and have served the President well."

The Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive and Senior Professional is the honor bestowed upon career Federal executives for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. Members of these communities manage many of the nation's most vital programs in defense, intelligence, the environment, energy, agriculture and others, and awardees receive a cash award of 35 percent of their base salary. Only one percent of the career SES and SL/ST community may receive this rank.

Over the next few months, four Presidential Rank Award Meritorious Review Boards will meet across the country to consider nominees for the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive and Senior Professional, an award recognizing the sustained accomplishment of no more than 5 percent of senior career SES/SL/ST employees.

Members of this Presidential Rank Award Distinguished Review Board were:

• Cindi Berry, Partner, Powell Goldstein LLP
• Steven Cohen, Retired, Senior Executive Service Member, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• Dr. Bo Denysyk, President, Global USA, Inc.
• Jim Dykstra, Principal, Edington, Peel & Associates Inc.
• Dr. Stephanie Hope Gilbert, Psychiatric Epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins Institutions
• Charles L. Grizzle, Chairman, The Grizzle Company
• Timothy N. Hyde, Managing Partner, DCI Group
• Nadia K. McConnell, President, U.S. -Ukraine Foundation
• Dr. Robert E. Moffit, Director, Center for Health Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
• Joan Timoney, Vice President of Programs, Partnership for Public Service
• Mark Valente III, Principal, Valente & Associates
• George Vercessi, Retired, Captain, United States Navy

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.