Awards

Nominations for National Leadership Awards

The DC Chapter Awards Committee is soliciting nominations of outstanding leaders in the federal, state, local tribal government and private sector for the 2026 AGA National Leadership Awards.  Email nominations to dcchapterawards@agadc.org by Monday, December 15, 2025.  Click here to see DC Chapter News which describes the awards.

2025 Recipients of these National Leadership Awards from the DC Chapter were:

DC Chapter Awards

AGA Washington DC Chapter is seeking nominations for its DC Chapter Awards to recognize well-deserving professionals from across the federal, state, and local sectors of government, as well as the private sector, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of accounting, auditing, budgeting, and other areas of government financial management! DC Chapter Program Year 2025-2026 nomination forms will be communicated in the future and are generally due to the Washington DC Chapter Awards Committee by mid Spring for all award categories.  More details will follow.

Program Year 2024-2025 DC Chapter awards were presented at the annual 2025 AGA Washington DC Chapter Awards Gala. Please take a moment and review the award categories and recipients.

Washington DC Chapter Award Categories (the Chapter subsequently nominated awardees for the AGA National Awards as indicated below):

DC Chapter Founder’s Awards for Enhancing the Prestige of the Government Accountability Profession – The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Robert W. King Memorial Award.

• National and DC Chapter recipient: David A. Lebryk, MPA, Retired Fiscal Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury

DC Chapter Founder’s Award for Advancing Government Accountability -The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Einhorn-Gary Leadership Award.

• National and DC Chapter recipient: Robert Dacey, JD, CGFM, CPA, Chief Accountant, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Achievement of the Year Award – The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Achievement of the Year Award

• National and DC Chapter recipient: United States Marine Corp

Educator Award – The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Educator Award

• National and DC Chapter recipient:  Dr. Dorothy Potter, PHD, CDFM-A, DFMC3, CICA, CBM, Professor and Department Chair, National Defense University, College of Information and Cybersecurity

International Achievement Award – The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA International Achievement Award

• National and DC Chapter recipient: Dawn Simpson, CPA, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Emerging Leader Award of Excellence – The recipient of this DC Chapter Award was also the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA Emerging Leader Award of Excellence

• National and DC Chapter recipient: Aaron Ruiz, CPA, Senior Auditor, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Excellence in Research Award -Washington DC Chapter nominees for this award was forwarded by the chapter for consideration for the AGA National Cornelius E. Tierney/EY Research Award.

• National and DC Chapter Recipient: Monica Valentine, CGFM, CPA, Executive Director, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board

Government Transparency Award – The Washington DC Chapter award nominee was forwarded by the chapter for consideration for the AGA National Relmond P. Van Daniker Government Transparency Award.

• DC Chapter Recipient: The Honorable Daniel I. Werfel, Former Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Internal Revenue Service

James W. Saylor Chapter Service Award

• DC Chapter Recipient: Bo Shevchik, CGFM, PMP, Program Director, AGA DC Chapter and Outreach and Marketing Strategy, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

For more information on the AGA National awards see AGA – PDT Awards of Distinction (agacgfm.org)

Other Washington DC Chapter Award Categories:

William J. Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award

• 2024-2025 Recipient: Jeffrey C. Steinhoff, CGFM, CPA, CFE, CGMA, Retired Assistant Comptroller General of the United States and Managing Director, Financial Management Assurance, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Distinguished Leadership Award

• 2024-2025 Recipient: Tonya R. Johnson-Simmons, MBA, MAcc, Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director, Office of Financial Management, U.S. Department of the Interior

Special Award by Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery/Prince George’s County Chapters:

Extraordinary Service to the Nation in Advancing Government Performance and Accountability for Over Five Decades

• 2024-2025 Recipient: The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General, U.S. Government Accountability Office

2024-2025 AGA DC Chapter President’s Awards:

Exceptional Program Leadership – Paul Lionikis (Senior Adivisor & Assistant Director of Programs)
Exceptional Event Coordination – Alexis Alfaro Trejo, CGFM, CPA (Co-Director of the Monthly Luncheon – Virtual)
Exceptional Stewardship  –  Mona Amatie, CGFM, PMP (Chapter Treasurer)
Exceptional Collaboration – Wendy Morris, CGFM, CPA, PMP (Chapter Secretary)
Exceptional Partnership Engagement – Cherry Sancho Ung (Director of Corporate Sponsorship and Annual Awards Gala)
Exceptional Dedication – Crystal Wolf, CGFM, CPA, CGMS, CICA (Chapter President Elect)
Exceptional Technical Support and Communications– Jeff Ledford, CGFM, MBA (Director of Admin & Communications – Webmaster) and Howie Simanoff, CGFM, CPA (Assistant Director of Admin & Communications – Webmaster)

Contact Orinda Basha at dcchapterawards@agadc.org for nomination submissions or questions.