Commerce secretary lauds senior executives at banquet

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke praised top career civil servants on Thursday at an awards banquet in Washington, calling on them to redouble their efforts in the face of the global economic crisis.

"I'm reminded of what the president said at his first Cabinet meeting: 'I want to make government cool again,'" Locke said during a speech at the annual Senior Executives Association Distinguished Presidential Rank Awards ceremony. "I want to applaud your service to government even though it might not be cool."

Locke said his experience as an elected county executive and as governor of Washington had taught him the importance of career civil servants who could share their experience with and provide a sense of continuity for politicians and political appointees. And he condemned the "pernicious strain of political thinking that diminishes" civil servants' hard work.

But Locke also told the senior executives in attendance that they should be mindful of their stable pay and generous benefits, and to work hard on behalf of ordinary Americans who are suffering in a difficult financial climate. The Commerce chief said it is the duty of senior executives to inspire the people who work for them.

"What you have done through your accomplishments is to make a better, stronger, more competitive America," he said.

Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association, said she was impressed by the 2008 awardees, who've saved the federal government $94 billion. The 61 honorees included a scientist who helped discover the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole, an executive who reduced waiting times for services by more than half at the Veterans Affairs Department, and the recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics.

"Every year, I think you can't be this incredible, and every year, you knock my socks off," Bonosaro said.

Government Executive sponsors the annual banquet, held at the State Department to honor the 1 percent of senior executives who are named Distinguished Executives and Distinguished Senior Professionals. The honorees, who are chosen for their achievements over an extended period of time, receive a monetary award equivalent to 35 percent of their annual basic pay.

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki attended the banquet.