New awards program honors managers for outstanding leadership

The Council for Excellence in Government earlier this week recognized six federal managers for exceptional leadership potential and dedication to public service.

Recipients of the Council's first set of "Senior Fellow Leadership Excellence" awards included John McGrath, creator of a monthly television show on the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, and Suzanne Marcy, head of an Environmental Protection Agency team that studied heavy metals in the Arctic. McGrath won honors for achieving results, and Marcy received a "leadership in action" award.

Beverley Robertson, branch chief of quality planning and performance at the Army's Installation Management Agency until April 2004, also earned honors in the achieving results category. The category recognizes managers who transform "vision into action" and "lead people, lead change, build networks and coalitions."

The council honored Stephen Banko III from the Housing and Urban Development Department's Buffalo, N.Y., field office in the leadership in action category, meant for managers exemplifying exceptional ability to "motive and inspire, organize and lead teams, practice and promote mentoring, identify and remove barriers to personal and professional development and advancement, and build and promote diversity in the workforce."

The two remaining winners, Larry Clark of the Energy Department and Hilda Douglas of the Health and Human Services Department, were cited for "public service excellence, for "making people's lives better, improving the environment, advancing social values such as health or education, or . . . attracting young people to public service." Clark worked to revitalize a technology park in Tennessee and Douglas helped people in underserved areas gain better access to health care.

All six winners are graduates of the Council's 16-year-old Government Fellows program, designed to help mid-level federal mangers develop the communications and leadership skills necessary for Senior Executive Service positions. The council asked the program's 2,000 graduates to nominate peers for the awards, and a 15-member panel of judges chose the recipients.

Three managers also received honorable mention in the achieving results category. The council recognized Susie Baker for creating the State Department's Professional Networking Committee, Jacquelyn Zimmerman for initiating a "Conversations with Leaders" program at the Education Department and Kevin Holian for leading emergency preparedness efforts at the Internal Revenue Service.