The AGA Washington DC Chapter is seeking nominations 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!
The awards were presented at the annual 2025 AGA Washington DC Chapter Awards Gala. Please take a moment and review the award categories and recipients.
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
Washington DC Chapter Award Categories (the Chapter will subsequently nominate 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 will be the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Robert W. King Memorial Award.
- 2024-2025 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 will be the DC Chapter’s nominee for the AGA National Einhorn-Gary Leadership Award.
- 2024-2025 Recipient: Robert Dacey, JD, CGFM, CPA, Chief Accountant, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Achievement of the Year Award
- 2024-2025 Recipient: United States Marine Corp
Educator Award
- 2024-2025 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
- 2024-2025 Recipient: Dawn Simpson, CPA, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Emerging Leader Award of Excellence
- 2024-2025 Recipient: Aaron Ruiz, CPA, Senior Auditor, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Excellence in Research Award - Washington DC Chapter nominees for this award will be forwarded by the chapter for consideration for the AGA National Cornelius E. Tierney/EY Research Award.
- 2024-2025 Recipient: Monica Valentine, CGFM, CPA, Executive Director, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
Government Transparency Award - The Washington DC Chapter award nominee will be forwarded by the chapter for consideration for the AGA National Relmond P. Van Daniker Government Transparency Award.
- 2024-2025 Recipient: The Honorable Daniel I. Werfel, Former Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Internal Revenue Service
James W. Saylor Chapter Service Award - The Washington DC Chapter award nominee will be forwarded by the chapter for consideration for the AGA National Volunteer of the Year Award.
- 2024-2025 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 Managment 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
National Recognition - AGA's 2025 National Leadership Training:
AGA National's Elmer Staats Federal Leadership Award
- 2025 Recipient: Mike Wetklow, CGFM, CPA, Chief Risk Officer, U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Adjust Professor, George Mason University
AGA National's Distinguished Local Government Leadership Award
- 2025 Recipient: Michael J. Coveyou, Director of Finance, Montgomery County, Maryland
AGA National's Eleanor Clark Leadership Award
- 2025 Recipient: Calandra Layne, CDFM, PMP, Director, Financial Improvement and Audit Remediation, U.S. Department of Defense
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 and Alicia Pelikan at dcchapterawards@agadc.org for nomination submissions or questions.
The 2023-2024 Program Year winners were:
Founder's Awards
- Government Innovator of the Year Award: Taka Ariga
- Advancing Government Accountability Award: Christy Beck
- Enhancing the Prestige of the Government Accountability Profession Award: Wendy Morton-Huddleston
- The James W. Saylor Chapter Service Award: Salim Mawani
President 's Awards
- Orinda Basha (Awards Committee Director)
- Thomas Chin (Newsletter Director and Chief Editor)
- Leigha Kiger (Webmaster)
- Monique Llanos (Newsletter Senior Editor)
- Lydia Tamblyn (Miller) (Assistant Communication Director)
- Annalena Winer (Annual Training Program Director)