Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Laura Cooper (Weinberg ’96) will receive a 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. She will be recognized with the 2023 Federal Employee of the Year Award for her work addressing international security crises on Oct. 17 in Washington, D.C.
The Sammies, considered the “Oscars” of government service, is the nation’s premier awards program to recognize public servants.
Cooper leads the Department of Defense’s Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Policy team, which has coordinated the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine in its current war against Russia. In that role, Cooper has worked with dozens of countries to supply security assistance for the country’s defense against Russia.
Last spring, Cooper’s team brought together the defense ministries of more than 50 countries to help supply Ukraine’s militia agenda along with Nate Adler, the policy team’s principal director. Cooper also works with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to lead Ukraine’s Defense Contact Group, which provides Ukraine with radar systems, defensive interceptor missiles and other military-grade equipment.
The Sammies has honored more than 750 federal employees since 2002. Staff from the Partnership for Public Service selected less than 30 finalists from more than 350 nominees this year through a vetting process that included interviews with nominees, nominators and references.
A selection committee — made up of government servants, business and nonprofit leaders, academics and journalists — then selected the six medalists, prioritizing innovation, impact, leadership and excellence.
“This year’s Sammies winners, like many of the more than 2 million career civil servants around the country, work every day to confront our nation’s biggest challenges,” Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said in a Monday news release. “The stories of these honorees are a window into the extraordinary work happening throughout government that often goes unnoticed.”
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @HabashySam
Related Stories:
— Q&A: Alum Heidi Stillman discusses her success in theater, upcoming projects
— Northwestern alum starts Chicago’s first murder mystery tour
— Research administrator Bethany Ekesa receives Jean E. Shedd Award
