Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Linda M. Springer today announced the assembly of 12 private citizens (see list below) from Kansas and Missouri to consider nominations for the 2006 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive and Senior Professional. Appointees to the board are private citizens from corporate America, academia, legal practice, and local government. Several are retirees. The board, the first of four to meet across the nation, convened today in Overland Park, KS.

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 Meritorious Rank. The nominations must be approved by the agency head before forwarding them to OPM for final board review.

"With the support of this distinguished group of citizens, we will ensure only the very best federal civil servants are considered for this prestigious honor," said Springer. "Members of the board have a significant task to accomplish, and I am confident this group will make the right choices."

The Presidential Rank Award is the highest professional honor for career SES members and Senior Career Employees for exceptional performance over an extended period of time. 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 20 percent of their base salary. Only five percent of the career SES and SL/ST community may receive this rank.

Over the next few months, additional Review Boards will meet across the country to consider nominees for the 2006 Presidential Rank Award. At the conclusion of the four 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 Meritorious Review Board for the Kansas City area are:

• Amanda Adkins, Director of Government and Industry Center Corporation, Kansas City, MO
• Allen Blair, Partner, Stinson, Morrison and Heckert, LLP, Kansas City, MO
• Susanne Bradley, Retiree, Manhattan, KS
• Susan Gandhi, Retiree, Topeka, KS
• Tom Hemmer, Sales Manager, Solomon Corporation, Solomon, KS
• Richard Miles, President, Government Employees Hospital Association, Independence, MO
• Matthew Miller, Counsel, Shook, Hardy and Bacon, LLP, Kansas City, MO
• John Petersen, Attorney, Polsinelli, Shalton, Welty and Suelthauf, Overland Park, KS
• Susan Peterson, Assistant to the President and Director of Government Affairs, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
• The Hon. Robert Stephan, Legal consultant, Lenexa, KS
• Joseph Watts, Broker, Partner Specialty Group, Kansas City, MO
• James Witkop, Retiree, Leawood, KS