WASHINGTON –Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett today honored twenty-eight departmental executives at a ceremony in the nation’s capital.
Presidential Rank Awards honoring exceptional long-term accomplishments went to seven employees, while 21 received the Secretary's Executive Leadership Award honoring them for their superior performance and excellence in leadership.
Each year the President recognizes a small group of career senior executives with the President's Rank Award. Winners of this prestigious award are “strong leaders, professionals, and scientists who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service.” Award winners are chosen through a rigorous selection process. They are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by boards of private citizens, and approved by the President.
The Secretary's Executive Leadership Award, an annual career Senior Executive Service performance award, was established by the Interior Department's Executive Resources Board to recognize superior performance and excellence in leadership. Career SES members are nominated for the Secretary's Executive Leadership Award by their bureau/office director, with the concurrence of the appropriate assistant secretary and the Performance Review Board. Final selections are made by the Executive Resources Board.
Today’s awards recipients included:
2006 PRESIDENTIAL RANK AWARD RECIPIENTS
▪Distinguished Executive: Abraham E. Haspel, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of the Secretary
▪Meritorious Executive: Thomas J. Casadevall, Central Regional Director, U.S. Geological Survey; Larry R. Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Law Enforcement and Security, Office of the Secretary; Kirk C. Rodgers, Mid-Pacific Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation; David P. Russ, Eastern Regional Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
▪Meritorious Senior Professional: William M. Alley, Senior Science Advisor, U. S. Geological Survey; Laurence A. Soderblom, Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey.
2006 SECRETARY’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS
▪Gold: Debbie L. Clark, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Management and Administration, Indian Affairs; Roseann Gonzales Schreiner, Director, Program and Policy Services, Bureau of Reclamation; Wandafa B. Hollingsworth (Retired), Chief, Division of Budget and Program Review, Policy, Management and Budget; Lawrence J. Jensen, Deputy Solicitor, Office of the Solicitor; Suzette M. Kimball, Eastern Regional Director, U.S. Geological Survey; Thomas P. Lonnie, State Director, Bureau of Land Management; Jane Lyder, Legislative Counsel, Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs; Larry R. Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Law Enforcement and Security; William E. Rinne (Retired), Deputy Commissioner of Operations/Acting Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; John D. Trezise (Retired), Director of Budget, Policy Management and Budget;
▪ Silver: Henry R. Bisson, Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management; Debra E. Sonderman, Director, Acquisition and Property Management, Policy, Management and Budget; Kenneth Stansell, Program Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
▪Bronze: Bert T. Edwards, Director, Office of Historical Trust Accounting, Office of the Secretary; Rick Lemon, Director, National Conservation Training Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Robert W. Middleton, Director, Indian Energy Resources Development, Indian Affairs; Mary Jane A. Miller, Budget Officer, Indian Affairs; Chris C. Oynes, Regional Director, Minerals Management Service; Grayford F. Payne, Chief Financial Officer, Indian Affairs; Charles E. Sandberg, Regional Director, Office of Surface Mining; Elaine Y. Zielinski, State Director, Bureau of Land Management.