In a ceremony at the Pentagon today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Director of Administration & Management Michael Donley honored the Department of Defense recipients of the 2021 and 2022 Presidential Rank Awards.
The Presidential Rank Award (PRA), established by statute, is one of the highest awards bestowed upon career Senior Executive Service and senior professionals by the President of the United States. Nominees face a long and rigorous evaluation period focused on those who have made significant and lasting contributions to their agencies in delivering mission critical solutions, providing excellent customer service, and being good stewards of taxpayers' dollars, and includes an extensive on-site evaluation and analysis process. Just being nominated by itself is considered a recognition of sustained exemplary performance over multiple years.
"Serving in a career leadership role here in the Department of Defense requires strength of character, integrity, resourcefulness, and a relentless commitment to public service. This is especially true in our dynamic operating environment, given our critically important mission for the American people, and with the unanticipated challenges we face. And to lead during the COVID-19 pandemic presented a novel set of challenges that no one could have predicted. It is fair to say that the Department's success during such challenging times is due, in no small measure, to the extraordinary leadership efforts of today's Presidential Rank Awards honorees." said Deputy Secretary Hicks.
Today's ceremony honored both 2021 and 2022 PRA recipients because COVID restrictions prevented the Department from hosting a ceremony honoring the 2021 awardees last year.
Two categories of PRA are available: 'Distinguished' rank to leaders who achieve sustained extraordinary accomplishments, and 'Meritorious' rank to leaders for sustained accomplishments.
The Department of Defense 2021 PRA recipients are:
Distinguished Executive
- Thomas M. Muir, Director of Administration & Organizational Policy (Retired), Director, Administration & Management
- Joseph R. Nogueira, Principal Deputy Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, CAPE (Retired)
- Peter F. Verga, Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence & Security) (Retired)
- Gregory J. Weaver, Deputy Director, Strategic Stability, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Retired)
Meritorious Executive
- James H. Baker, Director of Net Assessment, Office of Net Assessment
- Christopher M. Barnhurst, Executive Deputy Director, Department of Defense Chief Information Officer / Defense Information Systems Agency
- Robert E. Easton, Director, Office of Litigation, Office of General Counsel / Defense Legal Services Agency
- Andrew S. Mara, Deputy Director, Capability Enablers, Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation (Resigned)
- Donald J. McKenzie, Jr, Regional Director, Eastern, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) / Defense Contract Audit Agency (Retired)
- Stephanie P. Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Personnel Policy), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness)
- Virginia S. Penrod, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness) (Retired)
- Robert G. Salesses, Deputy Director, Washington Headquarters Services , Washington Headquarters Services
Meritorious Senior Career Employee
- Walter S. Chai, Technical Director for Space Systems, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering) / Missile Defense Agency
- Edward I. Richards, Senior Level Attorney-Adviser, Office of General Counsel / Defense Legal Services Agency
The Department of Defense 2022 PRA recipients are:
Distinguished Executive
- Cara L. Abercrombie, Coordinator for Defense Policy & Arms Control at the National Security Council, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy)
- Monique L. Dilworth, Assistant Deputy Comptroller (Program/Budget/Execution), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (Retired)
- Amanda J. Dory, Director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy)
- William D. Mays, Director for Engineering, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering) / Missile Defense Agency
- Frederick D. Moorefield Jr, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control and Computers, Department of Defense Chief Information Officer
Meritorious Executive
- David W. Bennett Jr, Director, Contracts Management Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering) / Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Resigned)
- E. Scott Castle, Deputy General Counsel (Fiscal), Office of General Counsel
- Elisabeth A. Daross, Deputy Director, Analysis and Innovation, Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
- Robert A. Edwards, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director for Operations, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) / Defense Financing and Accounting Service (Retired)
- John G. Fiore Jr, Director for Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering) / Missile Defense Agency
- Michael V. Sorrento, Deputy Director, Defense Human Resources Activity, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness) / Defense Human Resources Activity
- Mark S. Spillman, Deputy Director, Program Evaluation, Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
Meritorious Senior Professional
- Dwight H. Sullivan, Senior Level Attorney-Adviser, Office of General Counsel
- Stephen M. Wallace, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Defense Chief Information Officer / Defense Information Systems Agency
Meritorious Defense Intelligence Senior Professional
- Thomas W. Geyer, Director, Strategic Planning and Requirements, White House Military Office
