Washington, DC - This year, the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council established the CHCO Council Leadership Awards to recognize Chief Human Capital Officers and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers who lead, create, and promote advancements in the Federal Human Resources (HR) field through their work on the CHCO Council. The accomplishments of the awardees have a major impact on a government-wide level.

"As the Director of Office of Personnel Management and the Chairman of the CHCO Council I have seen what these individuals have accomplished over the past year," said Director of OPM John Berry. "They personify the great work that we do together and they should be commended for the changes they have made."

This year the award winners are:

· The CHCO of the Year is Assistant Secretary John U. Sepúlveda of the Department of Veterans Affairs who successfully chaired two major working groups, one on Veterans Affairs and the other on Hiring Reform.

· The Deputy CHCO of the Year is Rita Franklin of the Department of Energy who has worked for over five years on improving the federal HR profession, and this year held a leadership role in the creation of a training and development program for the HR profession.

· The Working Group of the Year is the HR IT working group led by Jeff Neil of the Department of Homeland Security. Two key members were Deputy CHCOs Rodney Markham from the Department of Justice and Bill Fleming from the Department of the Treasury. The working group designed and implemented the plan that led to USAJOBS 3.0.

The winners were honored at this year's CHCO Council Fall Forum. They will also be recognized in the Annual Report to Congress for their accomplishments and leadership as well as on www.CHCO.gov. For their work they will receive a CHCO of the Year award and have their names engraved on the Master CHCO Council Award Plaque to be displayed at the Office of Personnel Management.