Nominees must be currently enrolled in a Key Executive Leadership Certificate Program.
About the Award
Nominations for the 2024 Award Cycle are due December 31, 2024!
This award annually recognizes senior federal leaders for their individual performance in the Key Executive Leadership Program. Awardees display humility, authenticity, vulnerability, and a commitment to personal and professional development. They exhibit enthusiastic cohort support and demonstrate a strong commitment to their leadership journey and the journey of those they lead.
By exhibiting authentic behavior and a commitment to the growth of their cohort as a learning team, they exhibit the values of the founder of the Key Certificate Programs for whom the award is named.
Recipients of the Robert M. Tobias award are honored at a Key Executive Leadership event held annually in Washington, DC. Key's offerings draw hundreds of federal leaders from the government dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in public service and workforce transformation.
- Nominations are due December 31, 2024
- Complete the nomination form linked here.
- Please address all inquires/nominations to the Robert Tobias Award Committee
- Selections will be announced in Spring 2025
- Email tobiasaward@american.edu for more information
Meet the 2023 Nominees
Read the nominees' full bios by clicking on each of their photos.
Get to Know the 2022 Awardees
Scott Bauer, Director, Acquisition Human Capital Initiatives
Scott W. Bauer is the Director of Acquisition Human Capital Initiatives with leadership of a Department of Defense (DoD)-wide alternative personnel system, $100+ million workforce development account, and industry/government exchange programs. Previously, he was competitively selected for the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program to serve as the Acting Senior Executive Advisor within the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this capacity, he oversaw functional areas related to DHS’s 15,000+ acquisition workforce including an 80-person enterprise-wide Acquisition Professional Career Intern Program and management of the Homeland Security Acquisition Institute. Formerly, as the Associate Director of Production, Coordination & Optimization at Defense Acquisition University (DAU), he led a communication campaign for the first department-wide acquisition human capital redesign in 30 years for more than 185,000 acquisition workforce members.
Kelly DeGraff, Deputy Assistant Administrator, NPD, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security
Ms. Kelly L. DeGraff is currently serving as the Deputy Assistant Administrator (A) for National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) at FEMA. She leads seven business units that work across FEMA to ensure a ready and prepared Nation. These units provide policy and standards, develops programs, and delivers education, training, and exercises to instill equity, promote climate resilience, and promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared Nation. DeGraff also served as the Assistant Administrator for FEMAs Fund Management Directorate where she was responsible for the execution of more than $20B in funding and strategically overseeing human, financial, and information resources for FIMA. She also served as the Deputy Director for the UDSA’s Office of Homeland Security where she led a department wide initiative to refresh the vision, mission, and values enabling staff to deliver results and adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
Kyo Marie Dolan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service
Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) Kyo Dolan’s career with the U.S. Secret Service spans more than 20 years with over 22 years of service in the Federal Government. SAIC Dolan currently serves as the Special Agent in Charge of the Richmond Field Office, which encompasses 84 of 95 counties in Virginia. During her tenure in the Secret Service, she has worked to enhance the four pillars encompassing the Secret Service’s comprehensive cyber mission – investigations, protection, intelligence, and policy. She has directed surge force collaboration missions with Intelligence Community and Federal partners in direct support of cyber protective operations for Presidential, Vice-Presidential visits and National Special Security Events. In her previous role as the Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Cyber Operations at HQ, she oversaw all cyber protective and cyber investigative operations for the Secret Service. She applied her computer forensic, networking, and cyber investigative experience to serve on the 3-person team that developed the Secret Service’s inaugural cyber protection program to safeguard the President and USSS protectees – Critical Systems Protection (CSP). The CSP Program has been emulated world-wide as it is deemed as the leader in cyber protection programs. From 2018 – 2020, DSAIC Dolan served as the Senior Cyber Advisor to the National Intelligence Officer for Cyber Issues within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence at CIA HQ. In this capacity, she authored and published classified intelligence assessments pertaining to cyber threats to national security as well as provided classified threat briefings to Cabinet-level officials and the National Security Council.
Zona Lewis, Director, Military Community Outreach, Department of Defense
Zona Lewis assumed the duties of director for Military Community Outreach within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy in September 2022. With more than 30 years of military quality-of-life program management experience, Ms. Lewis directs communications, outreach and engagement across all MC&FP directorates and programs to support the well-being and readiness of more than one million military families. She is also responsible for the office’s digital media and resources, including MilitaryOneSource.mil and more than two dozen other platforms.
About Robert M. Tobias
Robert M. Tobias served as the Director of the Key Executive Leadership Programs from 2002 to September 2014 and continued as the Director of Business Development until September 2019. He founded the Key Executive Leadership Certificate Program in 2002. Professor Tobias also serves as a member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. He was previously nominated and selected to serve on the Human Resource Management System Senior Review Advisory Committee and the Commercial Activities Panel. Prior to his work at American University, Professor Tobias was the General Counsel, and then National President, of the National Treasury Employees Union.