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Awards To Recognize Accomplishments of Inspector General Community

Media Contact

media@oig.hhs.gov
202-619-0088

More than 87 individuals and groups will receive awards from the Inspector General community for outstanding accomplishments. The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), which is bestowing the awards, will hold the ceremony on October 20, 2009. This is the first year that the annual awards ceremony will be held under the auspices of CIGIE, which the Inspector General Reform Law of 2008 created by combining the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency into the new entity.

The Honorable Jeffrey Zients, CIGIE Executive Chair and Deputy Director for Management and Chief Performance Officer, Office of Management and Budget, will present the Inspector General community’s most prestigious awards. Additionally, the Honorable Phyllis K. Fong, CIGIE Chair, and the Honorable Carl A. Clinefelter, CIGIE Vice Chair, will present the Awards for Excellence.

The 2009 Alexander Hamilton Award goes to the Department of Defense in recognition of exceptional performance during the audit of the “Effect of Payments into Boeing Pension Funds on Economic Price Adjustments Clauses in DoD Contracts.” The award acknowledges achievements in improving the integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of executive branch agency operations. It is considered the highest form of recognition the Inspector General community can bestow.

The Sentner Award for Dedication and Courage goes to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Inspections Directorate, recognizing the members who endured arduous travel conditions and significant personal risk in traveling throughout Iraq to provide information to help U.S. agencies involved in relief and reconstruction. It was named for William “Buddy” Sentner, III, a special agent who was fatally shot in the line of duty.

Other special awards include the following:

  • The Gaston L. Gianni, Jr., Better Government Award goes to James G. Jacovides, General Services Administration, for hard work, innovation, and dogged perseverance to ensure the public’s confidence in the U.S. Government.
  • The Glenn/Roth Award for Exemplary Service goes to David R. Gray, Department of Agriculture, for exceptional skill in representing Inspector General interests in legislation enacted to strengthen their independence and accountability and give them a critical oversight role in economic recovery legislation.
  • The June Gibbs Brown Career Achievement Award goes to Helen Ceglia, Department of Labor, in recognition of outstanding leadership and expertise in furthering the mission of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
  • The Award for Individual Accomplishment goes to Crystal L. Johnson, General Services Administration, in recognition of outstanding contributions, leadership, and dedication on multiple procurement fraud investigations and task forces resulting in multimillion-dollar recoveries to the United States over the past 11 years.
  • The Barry R. Snyder Joint Award goes to the Eli Lilly Investigative Team for outstanding teamwork and investigative excellence related to the successful criminal and civil adjudication of the Eli Lilly investigation.

In fiscal year 2008, the Inspector General community identified cumulative potential savings of $18.6 billion as well as program efficiencies and enhancements. It successfully investigated individuals and entities that threatened Government integrity and the public trust.

Specifically, the efforts resulted in $14.2 billion in potential savings from audit recommendations; $4.4 billion from investigative recoveries and receivables; more than 6,800 successful criminal prosecutions; 6,647 indictments and criminal informations; 1,206 successful civil actions; more than 6,900 audit, inspection, and evaluation reports issued; about 5,000 suspensions or debarments; and nearly 338,000 hotline complaints processed.

The Inspector General Act of 1978 established units within many Federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, and abuse and to improve the economy and efficiency of program operations. The Inspector General community has more than 12,300 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals at 69 OIGs.

CIGIE is composed of all Inspectors General whose offices are established under the Inspector General Act of 1978, including those appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate and those appointed by agency heads.

The ceremony will take place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 13th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, at 10 a.m. The public is invited; there is no charge to attend.

For more information on the IG community, visit http://www.ignet.gov. To obtain additional information on the awards or the ceremony or to arrange interviews, please contact Dee Ellison, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services at 202-619-1028 or dee.ellison@oig.hhs.gov.