WASHINGTON, November 29 — Secretary Gary Locke and Acting Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank join ESA in congratulating James K. (Kim) White for receiving the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award. Conferred by the President of the United States, the Distinguished Rank Award is considered the Nation’s highest civil service award, recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of a small number of career Senior Executive Service leaders, professionals, and scientists who have consistently demonstrated excellence in results-oriented leadership and unsurpassed service to the nation.
Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca M. Blank said, "I’m delighted to announce that Kim White has been selected as a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award for 2010. This is the highest honor given to senior leadership in government, and reflects his long and excellent service here at ESA and within the Department of Commerce. In many ways, Kim has shaped ESA for the past two decades and has been vital in making sure that this organization retains top staff and a strong reputation in the Department for good work. Please join me in congratulations — this is a well-deserved honor."
Mr. White has served the Department of Commerce with distinction for 36 years, the last 28 as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He has provided exceptional leadership, management, and technical direction in a series of executive positions. His career has been marked by strategic vision, the ability to achieve agency goals in extremely difficult circumstances with creative and calm crisis resolution, and constant attention to enhancing the organizational effectiveness and efficiency of the Department. For the past fourteen years Mr. White has served as the Associate Under Secretary for Management of ESA, an agency of almost 8,000 employees. He is the key senior career executive overseeing the Department’s two large statistical agencies (the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis) and its economic policy offices, with a combined 2010 budget of $7.5 billion. Mr. White provided exceptional leadership and guidance to ESA during many years marked by budget and organizational challenges. He has guided and supported the Department’s political leadership through a number of Presidential and Secretarial transitions. Prior to joining ESA, Mr. White served as the Commerce Department’s Chief Counsel for Economic Affairs, Assistant General Counsel for Finance and Litigation, Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Administration, and as NOAA’s Alaska Regional Counsel. Mr. White holds a B.A. in english from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Previously, Mr. White has received several other awards, including of the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the Department’s highest award for exceptional service.