Five distinguished NASA executives were invited to a
White House ceremony Wednesday afternoon to receive the
prestigious Presidential Rank Awards for 2003. Dr. John
Mather, a Senior Astrophysicist in the Infrared Astrophysics
Branch, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Md. received a 2003 Presidential Rank Award for
Distinguished Senior Professionals.
NASA Deputy Administrator, Frederick Gregory; NASA Assistant
Administrator, Office of Procurement, Tom Luedtke; NASA
Assistant Administrator, Office of Human Resources, Vicki
Novak; and John Talone, Director of International Space
Station/Payload Processing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,
Fla. received 2003 Presidential Rank Awards for
Distinguished Executives.
The President annually honors a select group of career
members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and Senior
Level Scientific and Professional (SL/ST) corps. The
honorees are selected for outstanding leadership
accomplishments and service over an extended period of time
in some of the nation’s most critical positions in the
federal government.
“The entire NASA family is proud of the accomplishments of
these fine senior executives,” said NASA Administrator Sean
O’Keefe. “They have demonstrated leadership by personal
example, backed by a thorough knowledge of their areas of
expertise, is the most effective way to operate in a fast
moving, stressful environment,” Administrator O’Keefe said.
President Bush conferred the rank of Distinguished Executive
on 55 members of the SES, and the rank of Distinguished
Senior Professional on six members of the SL/ST corps.
“President George W. Bush’s actions highlight these
exemplary leaders and confirm that these executives and
senior professionals are some of our best who achieve great
results and demonstrate a strong commitment to the call of
public service,” said Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Director Kay Coles James.
“At this critical juncture in our nation’s history, the
American people demand and deserve only the most qualified
leaders to work on their behalf. They are examples of the
best and the brightest the federal government has to offer.
The American Civil Service is the best in the world, and
these individuals represent the essence and spirit of
service to the nation,” Coles said.
The Distinguished Executive may be awarded to one percent of
the approximately 7,600 career members of the SES and SL/ST
corps, and it includes a cash award of 35 percent of base
pay. The Meritorious Rank Award may be given to five percent
of the career SES and includes a cash award of 20 percent of
base pay.
A list of the 2003 Presidential Rank Award recipients is
available on the OPM Web site at:
www.opm.gov/ses/presrankaward.asp
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