St. Paul Corps Official Is Finalist For Service Medal

Judy DesHarnais, deputy district engineer for programs and project management for the St. Paul Engineer District, is a finalist for the 2018 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal.

The annual Service to America award, also known as the “Oscars” of government service, is the nation’s premier award dedicated to honoring America’s best in government. It recognizes exceptional federal workers with a mission to make the government more effective by breaking down barriers, overcoming huge challenges and getting results. It is presented by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a mission to help make government more effective. The award is named for the organization’s late founder, who, inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s call to serve, joined the U.S. Department of Justice after graduating from Harvard Law School.

DesHarnais was nominated for being a critical leader in planning, resourcing and building public works engineering projects during a three-decade career with the Corps. She has directed major flood-protection projects that have saved lives and prevented more than a billion dollars in property damage, the district said in an announcement.

She joined the District in 1985 as one of the district’s first female engineers. She continued to make history in 2001 when she was promoted to be the district’s—and the Corps’—first female deputy district engineer for programs and project management, a role she continues to serve in today.