Honoring Service

First, we honor Charles Rossotti, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, whose five-year term ends later this year. He is distinguishable from many people who flit through Senate-confirmed political jobs in Washington on their way to better resumes and perches in Washington's permanent establishment of law firms, lobbying shops and think tanks. Unlike many of them, he did not take the job for the vainglorious rush of policy-making at high levels, but rather for the challenge of reforming the internal structure and management of an important institution in our government. That he has done well, by all accounts. He has reorganized the IRS around its chief clienteles (individuals, small and large businesses, and nonprofits), has eliminated-without reductions-in-force-nearly 4,000 jobs the reorganization rendered redundant, cut the number of management layers in half (to six), made many employees compete to retain their jobs, and brought his expertise in technology to bear on the IRS' urgent need to give its workers quick access to the data they need better to serve the public.

Creating a new culture of efficient and courteous service in an agency whose focus is on tax collection and law enforcement is a long-term project. But Rossotti has engineered a very promising start, and for this he will receive, later this month, an award, co-sponsored by Government Executive and the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, for leadership in federal service.

Second, we honor Finn Neilsen, whose colleagues produced the mock cover of "Governmental Executive" shown at right, as he left government in February after 35 years of service. Neilsen began in the Air Force, where he learned to fly with such skill that he became a trainer, teaching all forms of instrument, formation and acrobatic flying in the latest military aircraft during six years of active duty and 23 years in the reserves. Neilsen spent most of his career working on pressing issues of energy supply and security. He played an important role in designing the government's response to shortages of coal, natural gas and other fuels in the 1980s, and represented the United States in crafting international agreements for sharing oil supplies in emergencies, including drawdowns of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve during the Gulf War. In the 1990s, he played a central role in devising the Energy Department's sophisticated approach to classification and declassification of sensitive data.

As he left, Neilsen received the Energy Department's Meritorious Service Award from Secretary Spencer Abraham, to recognize his "sustained superior leadership, management and innovation in the establishment and execution of policies critical to the security of the nation."

Unfortunately, these sorts of internal awards rarely receive much attention outside of government. To help remedy that problem, Government Executive and the Partnership for the Public Service have just announced a new, high-profile awards program to recognize the achievements of people in federal service as a means of interesting more good people in working for Uncle Sam. We are looking for nominees now; and we hope that you might help. To find out more, go to http://www2.govexec.com/SAM/.