Flemming Award: Federal Workers Honored for Public Service & Clean Water

Federal workers receive the Arthur S. Flemming award for contributions to public service, including clean water access and environmental enforcement. Awards highlight impact despite federal cuts.

McDaniel figured out he got the Flemming award at regarding the exact same time that he accepted the delayed resignation incentive, a program by the Trump administration to diminish the size of the federal labor force that generally supplied federal employees pay and advantages with Sept. 30 if they agreed to leave the public service.

“I wish that I can motivate somebody that’s sitting in a comparable position that I was numerous years back,” she claimed. “Maybe there’s an assistant right now at an IHS tribal clinic that is going to establish her views on and consider being an engineer, or perhaps a dental professional, or maybe a physician.” It made me actually begin to believe about exactly how something so basic– like accessibility to tidy water or risk-free water– it’s more than just concerning physical health and wellness,” de Vera claimed. I believe that understanding is really what kind of drives me to stay with the Indian Health And Wellness Solution.”

“It made me really start to consider just how something so standard– like accessibility to tidy water or secure water– it’s greater than nearly physical health,” de Vera stated. “It can actually influence an individual’s self-respect, their feeling of self well worth, their chances, their feeling of belonging. I think that understanding is actually what kind of drives me to stay with the Indian Health Service.”

On Sunday, de Vera will be one of 12 people to obtain the Arthur S. Flemming award for federal workers, which is put on by the National Academy of Public Management and George Washington University’s Trachtenberg Institution of Public Policy and Public Administration.

McDaniel’s Environmental Impact

When asked what his most impactful job has actually been, nevertheless, McDaniel pointed to an enforcement activity early in his career that brought about renovations at a drain system in Ohio that frequently released raw sewer into a local water body.

McDaniel is receiving the honor mainly for his deal with a $1.675 billion settlement, the biggest Clean Air Act civil penalty in history, with engine manufacturer Cummins to fix fees that it mounted gadgets preventing discharge standards in pickup. The company has said in feedback to the negotiation that it “has actually seen no proof that any person acted in negative faith and does not confess wrongdoing.”

A demonstrator holds an indication throughout a rally outside the EPA offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 22, 2025. The Trump administration has sought to lower the dimension of the government workforce.
JEFF KOWALSKY/ Getty Images

“My relative assisting me find Indian Wellness Solution– I know that was extremely life changing for me,” she claimed.

“Over the next variety of years, I had the ability to see those tasks be implemented, see the improvements in the river, have pretty good confidence that it had good public health influence on the neighborhood as well, particularly kids who would certainly otherwise be missing college since they have [intestinal] concerns from the raw sewage issues,” he claimed.

He claimed that he left DOJ partly since after 11 years he was already considering going into private practice, but spending plan cuts and staffing decreases in the Environment and Natural Resources Division likewise impacted his decision.

De Vera and Clean Water Initiatives

de Vera’s specialist connection with water campaigns began when her cousin who helped IHS welcomed her to consult with engineers at the firm. She stated that “everything kind of clicked” afterwards, and she got and received an IHS scholarship that partially covered her tuition for operating at the firm after college graduation.

Kathryn Newbie, a public law and public management professor at GWU and president of the Flemming Awards Commission, stated she is alleviated that the continuous federal government shutdown will not prevent any of the winners from participating in the ceremony. She said that this year’s honor is specifically crucial because of the cuts to federal tasks and programs.

As part of carrying out framework financing for cleanliness tasks, de Vera hires individuals to work for IHS. She described recruiting as one of the most impactful components of her job and is “not just loading openings for us.”

“It really did not appear like there was any type of various other location where you could, most importantly, be working in the public interest and doing civil service, which was something that was essential to me and something I intended to pursue,” he stated. “However additionally be servicing truly high-impact matters that make a large distinction in individuals’s lives, guaranteeing compliance with environmental laws, which sometimes boil down to safeguarding public health.”

“I wish that I can influence someone that’s sitting in a comparable setting that I was several years earlier,” she stated. “Maybe there’s a receptionist right now at an IHS tribal clinic that is mosting likely to set her sights on and consider being an engineer, or perhaps a dentist, or possibly a physician. I hope that individuals can take that far from this and see that we have several trips and numerous goals.”

Lt. Cmdr. Melissa de Vera first worked for the Indian Health And Wellness Solution as an administrative aide at a health center. Currently, she’s assisting to disperse $3.5 billion in financing from the 2021 bipartisan facilities legislation to support clean water and hygiene solutions at 115,000 tribal homes.

Impactful Public Service Careers

“My relative assisting me discover Indian Wellness Solution– I know that was really life changing for me,” she claimed. “So I actually wish to have the ability to provide that possibility for pupils to investigate and come ‘Is this for them?’ And if it is, when it is a great fit, it’s fantastic.”

Two winners of the Arthur S. Flemming honor that talked with “Government Executive” stressed the value of company internships as well as their own job increasing and protecting accessibility to tidy water in the united state