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Earlier this month, the Partnership for Public Service honored exceptional public servants at the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals®. The awards shine a spotlight on the remarkable accomplishments of federal employees and their work to benefit the nation.

At the Service to America Medals gala, the Partnership presented the 2023 Spirit of Service Award to Judy Woodruff, an iconic journalist with over 50 years of experience covering politics and current affairs for major news networks, including NBC, CNN and PBS.

The Partnership for Public Service hosted the 22^nd annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals®, or the Sammies, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

On July 20, the Partnership for Public Service announced that, after weeks of voting, Megan Meacham, Allison Hutchings, Sarah O’Donnell and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Team won the 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® People’s Choice Award. More than 75,000 votes were cast to determine this year’s winner.

We recently announced the top six finalists still in the running to receive this year’s Service to America Medals® People’s Choice Award. While all our Sammies finalists represent the very best in government, this award grants special recognition to the finalist who receives the most votes from the general public. 

This week, the Partnership announced the 27 finalists for the 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals^®, the premier awards program honoring excellence and innovation in our federal government.

Our podcast, “Profiles in Public Service” took a comedic turn with guests Jon Wolf and Jon Cohen, partners at Fair Point Productions, who spoke with co-hosts Loren DeJonge Schulman and Rachel Klein-Kircher about their work as the executive producers of “The G Word with Adam Conover.” “The G Word” is a comedy docuseries on Netflix hosted by comedian Adam Conover of “Adam Ruins Everything.”

The Partnership for Public Service announced on July 19 that Josh Josa of the U.S. Agency for International Development is the winner of the 2022 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® “Sammies” People’s Choice Award. The Partnership’s Jordan LaPier interviewed Josa, an inclusive education specialist, and discussed how he has leveraged U.S. resources and influence to promote educational opportunities in developing nations for children and youth with disabilities.

New research by the Partnership for Public Service and BCG shows that many federal agencies are struggling to improve employee engagement, with leaders and the workforce facing an array of challenges that include transitioning to new ways of working due the fallout from COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, we announced the top six finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals^® 2022 People’s Choice Award. From the depths of the ocean to undiscovered galaxies, our finalists have made significant contributions to our nation and the world.