By Stephanie Vendrasco, PEO(A) Public Affairs

NAVAIR Patuxent River, MD -- Tom Laux, Program Executive Officer for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs, is one of only 55 federal executives to receive the 2006 Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives from President George W. Bush.

Characterized as the ‘elite of the elite,’ Laux, 52, is among the top one percent of the eligible 7,800 civil servants eligible to achieve the prestigious award that honors federal servants for major accomplishments in carrying out government goals and policies over an extended time.

The 2006 award winners were employed across 35 government agencies with Laux being one of four distinguished executive recipients from the Department of the Navy.

"These awards present a much-deserved opportunity to recognize those who have made significant progress in advancing the President's Management Agenda while producing results for the American people," Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer said in a statement. "Those selected should be proud of this recognition."

Laux, who is responsible for approximately half of the new development programs in naval aviation, has executive oversight of 10 naval aviation program offices. Included within his purview are 13 major programs, each with a budget greater than $2 billion and 18 less-than-major programs with a budget of more than $50 billion.

In addition to being a Department of Defense pioneer with the implementation of Lean Six Sigma in the acquisition of major defense weapon systems, an innovative method to improve the price and quality of products and services, Laux is also known for his relentless pursuit of greater capability for the fleet with less cost to the taxpayer.

Laux began his career in 1977 as a NAVAIR engineer and has worked on various naval aviation acquisition and development programs including SH-60B and MH-60R/S Seahawk, CH-53E/K Super Stallion, H-1 Upgrades, V-22 Osprey, P-8A Poseidon, and VH-71A Presidential Helicopter.

He was selected into the Senior Executive Service in 1996.

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