METRO D.C. FEDERAL MANAGERS TO RECEIVE PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
NOAA Executives Recognized for Exceptional Federal Service
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
announced that six senior officials from the metropolitan Washington,
D.C., area will receive the 2002 Presidential rank of Meritorious
Executive Award. Slated for recognition are Gary K. Davis and Gregory
W. Withee from NOAA Satellite and Information Services; Louisa Koch
from NOAA Research; and Dr. James Hoke, Dr. Edward R. Johnson, and
Jack Kelly from NOAA’s National Weather Service. This award
is presented to senior federal executives committed to excellence
in public service. NOAA is an agency of the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
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. 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.
Executives from across federal government are nominated by their agency
leaders, evaluated by citizen panels, and then designated by the president.
“NOAA’s
demanding mission calls for the best and the most talented men and
women in federal service. I am gratified that our finest leaders have
been selected to receive these awards,” said retired Navy Vice
Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher,
Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA
administrator.
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Gary
K. Davis, is the director of the NOAA’s National Environmental
Satellite, Data and Information Service’s (NOAA
Satellite and Informtion Services) Office
of Systems Development in Suitland, Md. A native of New York,
N.Y., he currently resides in New Carollton, Md. He is being recognized
for leadership and innovative strategies he has brought to the nation’s
civil meteorological satellite program.
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Dr.
James E. Hoke is chief of NOAA’s National Weather Service/National
Centers for Environmental Prediction, Meteorological Division
in Camp Springs, Md. A native of State College, Pa., he resides
in Fairfax County, Va. Dr. Hoke is honored for developing and implementing
a state-of-the-art model of the atmosphere that, for over 10 years,
served as a basis for every U.S. weather forecast.
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Dr.
Edward R. Johnson is director of NOAA’s National Weather Service
Strategic Planning and Policy
Office in Silver Spring, Md. He is being recognized for highly
effective efforts to improve flash flood warning lead time - from
18 minutes in 1999 to 44 minutes in 2000.
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Retired
Air Force Brigadier General
Jack Kelly is the assistant administrator for NOAA’s National
Weather Service in Silver Spring, Md. He has built the NOAA
Weather Service into a customer-focused, employee-empowered,
results-driven organization.
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Louisa
Koch is the acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s Office
of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (NOAA
Research) in Silver Spring, Md. A native of Brookline, Mass.,
she resides in Silver Spring, Md. She has skillfully managed a nationwide
staff of over 900 with an annual budget of $300 million.
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Gregory
W. Withee is assistant administrator for the National Environmental
Satellite, Data and Information Service (NOAA
Satellite and Informtion Services), in Silver Spring, Md. A
native of Pasadena, Calif., he lives in Bethesda, Md. Greg has shaped
the future of operational environmental satellites. Greg has guaranteed
environmental observations from every major space agency in the
world, while saving taxpayer dollars.
In
addition to the six executives in the Washington, D.C. area, five
other NOAA officials across the country will receive awards.
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Dr.
Thomas R. Karl, director of NOAA’s
National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., will receive
the Distinguished Executive award for his dedication to advance
the scientific understanding of climate and his ability to ingeniously
and efficiently provided climate and weather data to industrial
and business operations.
Four
NOAA executives will receive separate Meritorious Executive awards.
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Dr.
James Balsiger, regional administrator of NOAA
Fisheries Alaska Region in Juneau, has worked for over 25 years
to advance understanding of the complex North Pacific marine ecosystem.
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Dr.
Stephen B. Brandt, director of the NOAA’s
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor,
Mich., for his outstanding leadership. He has engaged staff at all
levels in decision-making and problem-solving; fostered recruitment,
retention and training of next-generation scientists. He has also
generated strong partnerships with universities, state and federal
agencies that have resulted in new science programs for NOAA.
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Dr.
David J. Hofmann, director of NOAA’s
Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.,
has demonstrated outstanding leadership in directing the only U.S.
laboratory dedicated to long-term, climate-related observations,
in particular greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
NOAA
studies the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental
change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide
decision makers with reliable scientific information. The agency’s
goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities
of science and service to the nation for 32 years. NOAA is dedicated
to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction
and research of weather and climate related events and providing environmental
stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.
To
learn more about NOAA, please visit:
http://www.noaa.gov.
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