USDA has saluted its latest Presidential Rank Award winners--14 career Senior Executive Service managers. All were honored for their leadership and management activities during the three-year period that ended in FY 2000.

     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 accomplishments 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, 53 career employees received “Distinguished Executive” Awards and 287 received “Meritorious Executive” Awards for the three-year period ending in FY 2000. 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 2000 at the “Distinguished Executive” level were:
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(1) Thomas Army, director of the Agricultural Research Service’s Mid South Area, based in Stoneville, Miss., for exemplary leadership and outstanding management of the Mid South Area of ARS--the world’s largest agricultural research organization. He had previously received a “Meritorious Executive” Award for 1986.

(2) Colien Hefferan, associate administrator of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, for exemplary leadership and outstanding management of CSREES--USDA’s link to America’s universities.

     USDA’s Presidential Rank Award winners for 2000 at the “Meritorious Executive” level were:

(1) Margot Anderson, [then] director of USDA’s Global Change Program Office (currently deputy director of the Office of Policy with the U.S. Department of Energy), for her direction of USDA’s Global Change Office, making it a focal point for climate change issues for USDA at a time when the Department was being encouraged to develop programmatic strategies to address climate change issues and provide additional leadership in international climate change activities.

(2) Thomas Elias, director of USDA’s National Arboretum in Washington, DC, for outstanding management of the ARS-administered National Arboretum, the only federal facility to conduct research, provide education, and conserve and display trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants to enhance the environment.

(3) Leonard Hardy, deputy administrator for operations and management in the Rural Development mission area, for dynamic leadership in evaluating and certifying as Year 2000 compliant the 14 mission-critical systems and the 21 non-mission-critical systems of the Rural Development mission area, all in support of the 700,000 borrowers which Rural Development serves.

(4) Floyd Horn, administrator of ARS, for outstanding leadership of ARS, the largest and most diverse public sector mission oriented, centrally directed agricultural research organization in the world. He had previously received a “Meritorious Executive” Award for 1991.

(5) Peter Roussopoulos, director of the Forest Service’s Southern Research Station, based in Asheville, N.C., for establishing a record of significant contributions to the scientific management of the nation’s forest resources.

(6) Edward Scarbrough, the first U.S. Manager for the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), Food Safety and Inspection Service, for outstanding leadership and innovative approach to implementing changes to effectively address U.S. trade policies, focus on science, and revamp the planning process of Codex to ensure continued coordination of international food standards, to protect the health of consumers, and to facilitate fair practices in food trade.

(7) David Shipman, deputy administrator of the federal grain inspection program in the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, for outstanding leadership and management of the Nation’s grain inspection and weighing system, a system that promotes the fair and efficient marketing of more than $60 billion of U.S. grain and oilseeds annually.

(8) Paul Thompson, director of FSIS’s Technical Service Center in Omaha, Neb., for sustained vision and outstanding leadership in developing, and then being named the founding director of, the FSIS Technical Service Center, which is the primary information resource for government and industry personnel dealing with the production of safe meat, poultry, and egg products nationwide, as well as a resource for government and industry constituents worldwide.

(9) Eleanor Towns, regional forester of FS’s Southwestern Region, based in Albuquerque, N.M., for exceptional performance in managing and directing activities in the 20 million acres of National Forests and 260,000 acres of National Grasslands in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

(10) Lawrence Wachs, associate director of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, for continually demonstrating outstanding skill, innovation, dedication, and integrity in developing and presenting, to Congress, the President’s USDA budget, one of the most complicated and diverse resource acquisition and allocation programs in the federal government. He also received a “Distinguished Executive” Award for 1997 and a “Meritorious Executive” Award for 1984.

(11) Kaye Wachsmuth, deputy administrator for the Office of Public Health and Science in FSIS, for exemplary contributions to the creation of a public health and science based approach to food safety.

(12) Thomas Weber, deputy chief for programs in the Natural Resources Conservation Service, for meeting challenges, making change, and achieving outstanding results in several key leadership positions within NRCS.