Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Linda M. Springer today welcomed 12 private citizens (see list below) from the Nation's Capital to consider nominations for the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive and Senior Professional. Appointees to the board are private citizens from corporate America, academia, and local government.

Members of the board will review the accomplishments of nominees -- career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and Senior-Level (SL) and Scientific and Professional (ST) communities -- for the 2006 Presidential Award of Distinguished Rank. Nominees are reviewed against criteria for improving government services. The nominations must be approved by the agency head before forwarding them to OPM for final board review.

"Through their service on the Review Board, these citizens from the Washington, D.C. area will make a lasting contribution to public service by selecting and honoring the very best federal civil servants," said Springer. "Members of the board have a significant task to accomplish, and I am confident this group will make the right choices for this elite award given to federal employees."

The Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive and Senior Professional is the honor bestowed upon career federal SES members and Senior Career Employees for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. Members of these communities manage many of the nation's most vital programs in defense, intelligence, the environment, energy, agriculture and others, and awardees receive a cash award of 35 percent of their base salary. Only one percent of the career SES and SL/ST community may receive this rank.

Over the next few months, four Presidential Rank Award Meritorious Review Boards will meet across the country to consider nominees for the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive and Senior Professional, an award recognizing the sustained accomplishment of no more than 5 percent of career SES/SL/ST employees.

At the conclusion of the five panels, Director Springer will send her recommendations to President George W. Bush, who will make the final selections and announce the award recipients later this year.

Members of the 2006 Presidential Rank Award Distinguished Review Board are:

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.