2011 Federal 100

This year’s Federal 100 awards program is a reminder that excellent work goes on, even in the toughest of times.

And times were tough in 2010, make no mistake about that. Civilian agencies and their contractors felt the pinch of budget uncertainty as the year progressed and Congress could not reach agreement on an appropriations bill. Many defense agencies also faced austere times, as two wars continued to demand a steady flow of resources. Yet the 2011 Federal 100 award winners rose to the challenge.

They developed strategies to ease the federal government’s transition to cloud computing. They improved the quality of care provided to our service members returning from combat. They gave federal officials a crash course in how to protect themselves against an imminent cybersecurity threat. And they even put together national programs to nurture the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

Featured 2011 Federal 100 Winners

A new twist on disaster response

IT education: Changing by degrees

A mandate to innovate in intelligence analysis

Gateway portal offers new connections for combat vets

Coast Guard makes waves with SOA

2011 Federal 100 winners -- complete list

2011 Federal 100 panel of judges

Gala photos on FCW's Facebook page

Eagle Winners

Lynn, Pedersen take home Eagle awards

President's Winner

Army's Chiarelli honored for support of vets

Eagle and President's winners photos

That’s one of the marks of Federal 100 winners every year: They have an uncanny ability to figure out how to get a job done with whatever resources are available. That quality is especially valuable in a crisis — be it the earthquake in Haiti or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — when time is of the essence and options are limited. It’s the art of the possible raised to its highest form.

Federal 100 winners often seem to look at the world from a unique perspective. It’s not that they don’t see obstacles. But they come at problems from a slightly different angle. They see ways around obstacles that others might have missed. That vision, and their ability to share it, is what makes them leaders.

But the most important distinguishing mark of Federal 100 winners is simple: They step up. That’s something we see again and again in the nominations we receive. Often the work that results in a Federal 100 award is something that is difficult, time-consuming and, in many cases, beyond the winner’s job description. But they step up to it and get the job done. It’s that simple.

After 22 years of the Federal 100 awards program, you would think we had seen it all. But this year’s program just goes to show that excellence never gets old.