Kurt M. Campbell Deputy Secretary of State | Official Website
The President has approved the FY2024 Presidential Rank Awards (PRA) for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and the Senior Foreign Service (SFS) at the U.S. State Department. This year, eight SES members and 58 SFS members were recognized for their exceptional service to the American people.
The Presidential Rank Awards are an annual recognition for career members who have shown outstanding leadership, integrity, and significant contributions to government policy in foreign affairs. These awards have been a tradition since the establishment of the SES in 1978 and the SFS in 1980.
The recipients of this year's Distinguished Executive Award from the SES include Ann K. Ganzer, Lisa J. Grosh, Maria A. Longi, and Lesley C. Werthamer Ziman.
From the SFS, those honored with the Distinguished Service Award are Douglass R. Benning, Donald A. Blome, John C. Brewer, Melanie Higgins, Donald Lu, Mary C. Phee, Ronald W. Stuart, Dean Thompson, and Lynne M. Tracy.
The Meritorious Executive Award for SES went to Christopher R. Backemeyer, Donald E. Bauer, Kimberly A. Gahan, and Clifton M. Johnson.
For SFS members receiving the Meritorious Executive Award are Ayan H. Ahmed Noor among others such as Whitney Y. Baird and Joseph J. Bedessem through a long list ending with Tracy J. Thomas.
These awards reflect their dedication to public service through exemplary conduct and results-oriented leadership.
