Flemming Awards celebrate dedication, public service in government

Twelve public servants will be honored next month at the 75th anniversary of the Arthur S. Flemming Awards, an honor given to those who advance equity in their government work.

While working in the federal government is sometimes depicted as a distant, bureaucratic and divisive job, the work many people do improves the lives of Americans across the country and often goes unnoticed. The Flemming awards seek to mark such achievements.

“To be a public servant, there is a certain level of passion that you have to have. Passion for the work, passion for the people, passion for change,” said TenaVel Thomas, the executive director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field academy.

Thomas, who was born in the Virgin Islands, is the Department of Homeland Security’s first Flemming Award recipient. As port director for New York and Newark in CBP’s field office, she created a refugee processing center and led a human trafficking unit that rescued more than 130 indentured servants.

She said to her and her immigrant parents, this award is symbolic of the American dream.  

The Flemming Awards hope to honor work done by those behind the scenes in government, and to encourage government workers to make a difference.

“It’s not about just doing the job and getting your paycheck. It’s about making sure that what you do really matters and improves society and particularly, those least well served by society,” Dr. Kathryn Newcomer, a Flemming Award commissioner with the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, said.

Established in 1948 and named after Flemming, the award is the longest standing award given to federal government employees separate from the government. Flemming held various non-partisan positions in seven presidential administrations.

He was first appointed to the Civil Service Commission by former President Roosevelt in 1939. Flemming later served under former President Eisenhower as the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. He finished his career serving as the Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights under former Presidents Ford and Carter. Flemming was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by former President Clinton.

“It just makes me really happy that we’ve been able to memorialize the kind of good work and foresight and absolute passion for doing the right thing in our society,” Newcomer said of the award’s legacy. “[Flemming’s] life stands for the kind of values that I hope go on for the next 75 years, and they’re needed right now more than ever with a divided society.”

Newcomer said awards are given to individuals who have less than 15 years of experience in the federal government and is intended to incentivize them to continue their careers in government.

So many people could work in the private sector for more money, Newcomer said, but the award is meant to highlight the impact the federal government has in Americans’ lives that may often be overlooked.

“I’m sure I can speak on behalf of [all Flemming Award recipients] when I say it’s so humbling to know that our work that we’ve done is held in such high regard and knowing that there is such a trust in what it is that we do,” Thomas said.

The award recipients will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 13. It’s presented in partnership with the Trachtenberg School and the National Academy of Public Administration.

In addition to Thomas, eleven other government workers are being honored for their contributions.

Those eleven people are:

Dr. Aspen Workman of the Department of Agriculture, who led a team that produced the first gene-edited calf resistant to a virus that cost the industry $2 billion each year.

Dr. Kenneth Obenberger of the Defense Department’s Air Force Research Laboratory, who made improved radio wave propagation that reduced space plasma disturbances on $4 billion worth of military equipment.

Dr. Douglas Morton of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who developed the Amazon Dashboard that uses NASA data to track forest fires in real-time for officials and the public.

Shannon Griffin at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who pioneered the approach of using saliva as an alternative to blood when detecting human exposure to microbial contaminants. Alison Fong, also at the EPA, led a team that oversaw more than 2,800 environmental cleanups and its multiple facets.

Dr. Charles Rotimi of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) National Institute of Health, who has developed genomic medicine by facilitating databases for diseases and therapies.

Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, also of HHS’ National Institute of Health, has introduced new concepts in addiction treatment as a physician-scientist.

Dr. Jeffrey Sherman of the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, who leads the nation’s official time with the atomic clock ensemble.

Blair Pasalic of the Department of Energy helped deliver Ukraine critical electric equipment and energy security for European allies as Russia continues its war.

CDR Nancy Tian of HHS’ Food and Drug Administration modernized the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research informatics platform and improved transparency for the organization.

Dr. M Khair EIZarrad, also of the Food and Drug Administration, who fights for medical research policies that help patients, promotes diversity in clinical trials and the use of new technologies.

Past recipients have gone on to launch successful careers in public service, including former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R