USDANEWS                                                           VOLUME 58 NO. 9 — DECEMBER 1999

1999's Winners Of Presidential Rank Awards At USDA

USDA has saluted its latest Presidential Rank Award winners--15 career Senior Executive Service managers. All were honored for their leadership and management activities during 1999.

The purpose of the Presidential Rank Award Program is to recognize and reward career SES members who have demonstrated exceptional performance over an extended period of time.

Barbara Holland, a personnel management specialist in the Office of Human Resources Management, said that there are two categories of Presidential Rank Awards. The “Distinguished Executive” Award is given to no more than one percent of career senior executives for sustained, extraordinary accomplishment in carrying out federal goals and policies. These winners receive an award equal to 35 percent of their base pay, paid for by the recipient’s agency. The “Meritorious Executive” Award is limited to no more than five percent of career SES members and is given for sustained accomplishment. These winners receive an award equal to 20 percent of their base pay.

Governmentwide, 58 career employees received “Distinguished Executive” Awards and 253 received “Meritorious Executive” Awards for 1999. The Presidential Rank Award Program, which has been in existence since 1980, is coordinated by the Office of Personnel Management.

USDA’s Presidential Rank Award winners for 1999 at the “Distinguished Executive” level included:

Donald Bay, administrator of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (retired in December 1999), for outstanding leadership of NASS and significant contributions to the nation’s agricultural statistics program.

Margaret Glavin, associate administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, for leadership in strengthening FSIS’s effectiveness through a revitalized organizational structure and innovative applications of science in inspection methodology. She had previously received a “Meritorious Executive” award for 1991.

David Hall, budget officer of the Farm Service Agency, for outstanding contributions to the development, justification, and acquisition of budgetary resources in support of the nationwide operations of FSA and the Commodity Credit Corporation in providing program benefits to American farmers.

Dallas Smith, deputy under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services (retired in January 1999), for outstanding contributions to the reorganization of USDA and the concurrent successful management of agricultural programs, both domestic and international.

USDA’s Presidential Rank Award winners for 1999 at the “Meritorious Executive” level included:

Fred Barrett, deputy administrator for field operations in NASS (retired in May 1999), for outstanding and innovative leadership in the operations of 45 state statistical offices.

Barry Carpenter, deputy administrator for livestock & seed programs in the Agricultural Marketing Service, for outstanding contributions to U.S. livestock, meat, and grain industries and the American people by developing and directing programs to ensure the production, processing, and marketing of a constant supply of quality meat and meat products nationally and internationally.

Stephen Dewhurst, director of the Office of Budget & Program Analysis, for outstanding management of USDA’s budget, one of the most complicated and diverse resource acquisition and allocation programs in the federal government. He had previously received “Distinguished Executive” awards for 1996 and 1991 and “Meritorious Executive” awards for 1986 and 1979.

John Golden, associate general counsel for regulatory and marketing in the Office of the General Counsel, for sustained and outstanding contributions to legal services in American agriculture in the fields of food safety, animal and plant health, and agricultural marketing and inspection. He had previously received a “Meritorious Executive” award for 1990.

Thomas Henneberry, director of the Agricultural Research Service’s Western Cotton Research Laboratory in Phoenix, Ariz., for outstanding management of research into ecologically oriented areas that serve as models for integrated pest management systems.

Ruthie Jackson, administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service’s Southwest Region, based in Dallas, Texas, for innovative program management in implementing the nation’s nutrition assistance programs in the Southwest Region.

Peter Johnsen, director of ARS’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill., for reshaping the scientific direction of the Center to address the environmental concerns, global trade, biotechnology revolution, and intellectual property issues facing American agriculture.

Phyllis Johnson, director of ARS’s Beltsville Area Research Center in Beltsville, Md., for exemplary leadership and management of ARS’s Beltsville Area and, previously, ARS’s Pacific West Area based in Albany, Calif. They are the two largest of the eight Areas which comprise ARS--the world’s largest agricultural research organization.

John McCutcheon, associate deputy administrator for field operations in FSIS, for continuous innovative contributions to the nation’s meat, poultry, and egg product inspection program, including management of the pilot plant testing component of FSIS’s conversion to the more scientifically-based HACCP inspection system.

Richard Parry, assistant administrator of ARS’s Office of Technology Transfer, for outstanding management of the technology transfer program of ARS--the world’s largest agricultural research organization.

Clyde Thompson, deputy chief for business operations in the Forest Service, for exceptional leadership in directing and managing all administrative and internal management functions of the Forest Service.

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