Nomination Criteria

The criteria for this prestigious award for active federal career executives (members of SES) are demonstrated exceptional capabilities in the following areas:

• superior leadership which has resulted in outstanding organizational achievements
• a strong demonstrated commitment to develop the careers of people who will serve as managers and executives in the future federal service, contributing to the continuing excellence of government

Any career civilian employee of the executive branch of the U.S. government or member of the uniformed services who has at least three (3) years of service as of June 30, 2024, and who is not retirement eligible, may be submitted for nomination for the Roger Jones Award.

Presidential appointees, other administration appointees, and career civil service agency heads (acting or permanent) are invited each year to submit nominations of career executives responsible to them who have demonstrated outstanding executive leadership.

Award Presentation

Recipients of the Roger W. Jones Award will be honored in a ceremony hosted by American University during the Annual Key Executive Leadership Conference.

Byron Adkins

Associate Director 
Farm Credit Administration

Byron M. Adkins, Jr. is a seasoned senior executive with over 18 years of distinguished service in the federal government and military. Appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2014, he currently holds the position of Associate Director for Operations at the Farm Credit Administration (FCA). In this role, Mr. Adkins serves as the Security Senior Official and Designated Safety and Health Official (DASHO), overseeing a broad spectrum of operational services including property management, continuity of operations (COOP) and emergency response, infrastructure and safety, environmental and sustainability programs, mail services, fleet and transportation services, printing services, and both physical and personnel security. 

Before joining FCA, Mr. Adkins was the Director of the Interior Business Center (IBC) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. There, he oversaw the delivery of shared services to support Interior offices and bureaus, as well as over 150 other federal agencies. He managed over 40 service lines, generating more than $300 million in revenue, and led a workforce of 900 employees across multiple locations, including Washington, D.C., Herndon, VA, Denver, CO, and Sacramento, CA. Under his leadership, IBC became a benchmark for delivering business support services as a federal shared services provider. 

Previously, Mr. Adkins served as the Director of the Office of Facilities and Environmental Quality (OFEQ) in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, he was responsible for departmental policy, programs, and operational functions related to real property, sustainability, environmental management, and facility services. He also oversaw all operations and maintenance for the Herbert C. Hoover Building (HCHB) and led the $1 billion HCHB Renovation and Modernization Project. 

Earlier in his career, Mr. Adkins served as the Deputy Director of the Eastern Business Service Center at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, where he oversaw facilities management, acquisitions, and information technology directorates. He also held senior leadership roles at the Department of the Interior’s IBC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Operations, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff at IBC and as a budget analyst and project manager at USDA's Office of Operations. His legislative experience includes serving as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill. 

Mr. Adkins began his professional journey as an intern with the City of Richmond, VA's Department of Public Utilities as an electrical engineer. He was later commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving in various assignments worldwide. After completing his military service, he transitioned to the private sector, supporting the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command as a project manager for over two years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and is a certified Project Management Professional. He is an alumnus of the Harvard University Executive Education Program for Senior Executive Fellows and holds an MPA from Troy University and an MBA from George Washington University. Mr. Adkins has been honored with the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service and was named a 2023 National Academy of Public Administration Fellow. 

A past president of the African American Federal Executive Association (AAFEA), Mr. Adkins has received the 2022 Ebenezer Bassett Award, the NASA Administrator Award, and several departmental and secretary awards throughout his career. He is known for his extraordinary achievements and transformational leadership, leaving a legacy of innovation and positive impact. Mr. Adkins' rare blend of passion, intelligence, and sound judgment has established him as a change agent and inspirational executive leader. Mr. Adkins remains actively engaged in the federal community, contributing to, and being featured on the Federal News Network, participating in various NAPA studies, and serving on the NAPA Roback Scholarship committee. He is also involved with the Shared Service Leadership Coalition, an ACT-IAC Fellow and Vice-Chair of the Partners program, an active member and panelist of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) and serves on the executive steering committee for the AGA NextWave Federal Finance Leadership program. 

Camille Hoover

Executive Officer & Associate Director
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Department of Health & Human Services

Ms. Camille Hoover began her 36-year federal career as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) social worker, compassionately serving the needs of those seeking guidance and personalized direction. While her path has evolved from clinician to administrator to senior executive, there is a consistent yet distinct thread throughout – her passion to help others and her dedication to serving the American people. Ms. Hoover currently serves as the Executive Officer of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an organization of 1300+ individuals with an annual budget of more than $2.2B within the NIH. NIDDK conducts and supports medical research and training, disseminating science-based information on various diseases to improve people’s health and quality of life.

Nancy Nykamp

Assistant Administrator
Transportation Security Administration
Department of Homeland Security

Ms. Nancy Nykamp currently serves as TSA’s Assistant Administrator for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), where she leads a workforce of 650+ employees charged with the mission to identify potential threats to transportation through 24/7 intelligence and vetting operations. Ms. Nykamp oversees Intelligence Indications and Warning Watches, intelligence analysis and production, and intelligence information dissemination elements geographically dispersed across the country to ensure uninterrupted operation of mission essential functions. Through these capabilities, Ms. Nykamp’s office provides early identification of potential threats to the transportation sector, enabling the direction of critical mitigation measures to reduce risks to US national security.

Ms. Nykamp also directs the timely analysis, production, and dissemination of critical finished intelligence to inform transportation policy and operations. Key to the dissemination of this intelligence is a robust TSA I&A-led information sharing network with over 1500 members, enabling TSA to partner with aviation, pipeline, and rail industry stakeholders to mitigate potential vulnerabilities and advance transportation security. Ms. Nykamp’s vetting leadership portfolio includes recurrent vetting of 7+ million air passengers flying within, over, into, and out of the United States, as well as the recurrent vetting of 42 million workers with access to the transportation sector and critical vetting support to the air cargo sector. These vetting operations enable TSA to identify high-risk individuals and take swift, appropriate action to advance the security of the traveling public and the supply chain.

Prior to her selection as the Assistant Administrator, Ms. Nykamp served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Executive Director of Mission Essential Services in I&A. Earlier in her TSA/DHS career, she served as the TSA Representative and Attaché in Berlin, Germany; Senior Advisor to the TSA Deputy Administrator; Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, DHS; and the Deputy Federal Security Director at Washington Dulles International Airport. Ms. Nykamp previously served as a Department of Defense Senior Civilian in the Joint Special Operations Command, US Special Operations Command, and the US Forces Command. In these positions, she served as the senior civilian advisor for joint interagency planning and operations; directed strategic plans and worldwide operations supporting National-level requirements; and led all-source intelligence analysts and classified communications specialists supporting a workforce of over 750,000 employees.

Prior to her service in the US government civilian sector, Ms. Nykamp completed a career in the US Army as a Military Intelligence Officer. In this capacity, she commanded several special mission operational intelligence organizations and served as a Senior Intelligence Officer during multiple combat and multinational missions, including service in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom and Desert Shield/Storm), Haiti (Uphold Democracy), and Panama (Just Cause and Promote Liberty). Ms. Nykamp’s military career also included service in the Executive Office of the President under both William J. Clinton and George W. Bush.

Ms. Nykamp is a graduate of the DHS Senior Executive Service Leader Development Program and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executive Fellows program. She also earned a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University (graduating with highest honors), and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bucknell University. Additional honors and awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Presidential Service Badge, CIA Director’s Medallion, US Army Master Parachutist Badge, US Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia, and the German Armed Forces Parachutist Badge. Ms. Nykamp resides in Virginia with her husband, a commercial airline pilot, and their three children.

Robert Smolich

Assistant Inspector General
Department of State, Office of Inspector General

Mr. Smolich became the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIG) of the U.S. Department of State (DOS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Investigations (INV) in July 2022 after serving as both INV’s Deputy AIG (DAIG) and Acting AIG since January 2021. Mr. Smolich is responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of criminal, civil, and administrative investigations involving the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS’s), U.S. Agency for Global Media’s, and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission’s programs, operations, personnel, contractors, and grantees. He also oversees the OIG Hotline and OIG’s data analytics program.

Mr. Smolich leads a 77-person office with locations in Arlington, VA, and Charleston, SC. Mr. Smolich has over 22 years of experience leading federal law enforcement organizations in both the Title 10 and Title 5 OIG communities and has over 26 years of leadership experience. He has been with DOS OIG for the last 12 years, previously serving as a Special Agent, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Special Agent in Charge, and DAIG. He is the first person in INV history to have held every leadership position in INV.

Mr. Smolich is also an Air Force Reserve Colonel (Special Agent) with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), in which he serves as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Commander, Field Investigations Region 2 (Air Combat Command), where, when in status, he leads 30 geographically separated offices conducting investigative, counterintelligence, and force protection support for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force in the U.S., South America, Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Mr. Smolich was recently called to active duty from February through June 2024 where he served as OSI’s Deputy Commander, leading the daily operations of a 3,800-person law enforcement and counterintelligence agency at over 300 locations worldwide.

Over the course of his military career, Mr. Smolich has led six investigative field offices in Wyoming, Georgia, California, Colorado, Virginia, and Baghdad, Iraq. He has served in five executive positions. In addition to those mentioned above, he has also served as the IMA to the Vice Commander, Field Investigations Region 5 (U.S. Air Forces Europe) overseeing investigative and UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED counterintelligence operations at 21 geographically separated locations in Europe and Africa; as the IMA to the Director, Strategic Programs and Requirements Directorate, leading a headquarters policy and requirements directorate for a 3,800-person law enforcement and counterintelligence organization; and as IMA to the Commander, OSI Intelligence Collections and Operations Nexus, providing intelligence products and specialized investigative support to the OSI Commander and OSI units worldwide.

Mr. Smolich earned his Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential in December 2006 and was recently elected as a Regent for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). As a Regent, he is responsible for setting membership standards that promote professionalism and ensure the future of the 90,000-member organization. He oversees the admission of members, including, but not limited to, examination standards. He also establishes Continuing Professional Education requirements and is responsible for establishing, modifying and enforcing the CFE Code of Professional Ethics, as well as all other matters necessary to maintain the high standards of the ACFE.

Mr. Smolich has received numerous awards throughout his civil service career, including the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency’s Award for Excellence in Law end Legislation, DOS OIG’s Leadership Award (twice), and the DOS Meritorious Service Award. For his military career, Mr. Smolich has won the Special Agent of the Year award at the directorate, wing, and command levels and has led units in winning the small, medium, and largesized Detachment of the Year awards at the wing and command levels. His wartime leadership resulted in the award of the Bronze Star Medal.

Mr. Smolich holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota, a master’s degree in criminal justice with a financial fraud concentration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is a graduate of Air War College (correspondence) and is a graduate of American University’s Key Executive Leadership Program. In his free time, Mr. Smolich works as a scuba diving professional, holding the Professional Association of Diving Instructors Instructor Development Course staff instructor rating where he helps individuals achieve their goals of becoming a dive professional. Mr. Smolich resides with his wife, Biana, in Arlington, Virginia.

Meet the 2024 Nominees