Public Service Recognition Week 2024 - image: two FDA scientists generated by AI

Public service recognition week (PSRW) has been celebrated the first week of May since 1985

Honoring federal, state, country, local, and tribal government employees, the first full week of May is Public Service Recognition Week. Leaders across all governments are participating by recognizing employees, thanking their staff, and sharing stories of excellence in the public sector. US citizens are encouraged to share such stories online with the hashtag #psrw on X (formerly known as Twitter).


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PSRW honors dedicated public servants that are crucial in our nation’s education, safety, defense, healthcare, infrastructure maintenance, and countless other areas that keep the country and individual states running. From teachers to bus drivers to FDA scientists to FEMA workers, all public service employees provide invaluable contributions to America. All deserve a heartfelt thank-you from the people they serve day in and day out.

This is also the week that the finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists are announced. Considered the “Oscars” of the federal government landscape, the “Sammies” award outstanding federal employees. This year’s finalists include such feds as Stephen Hughes of NASA, Tara Fitzgerald from the EPA, and Darnita S. Trower at the IRS, among a handful of other exceptional public servants. See the full list here.

Federal Employee of the Year

The finalists are all in the running for the top award, Federal Employee of the Year, which will be announced in July during the official Sammies ceremony. Previous winners include the Dept of Defense employee Laura Cooper in 2023 and Gregory Robinson in 2022 for his work at NASA on the James Webb Telescope project. In 2021, two feds received the prestigious honor for their work at NIH related to the coronavirus vaccines, Barney Graham and Kizzmekia Corbett.

Benefits Ben, STWS

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Public Service Recognition Week 2024 - image: two FDA scientists generated by AI
Thank you, federal workers! Public Service Recognition Week 2024