NOAA's Pam Sullivan is the recipient of a 2022 Presidential Rank Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the federal career civil service. Chosen by President Biden, the Presidential Rank Awards recognize the hard work and important contributions of dedicated civil servants in the American federal workforce. Sullivan was honored with the Distinguished Executive Award for her sustained exceptional leadership, accomplishments, and service. Only 1% of the Senior Executive Service may receive the Distinguished rank.
As System Program Director for the GOES-R and GeoXO programs, Sullivan is in charge of the development, integration, and launching of NOAA's geostationary satellites, the Western Hemisphere's most advanced weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system
Sullivan oversees the development of spacecraft and instruments, as well as the ground system that receives data from satellites, generates data products, and distributes products to forecasters. The GOES-R Series includes NOAA’s GOES-16, GOES-17, and GOES-18 satellites, as well as GOES-U, planned for launch in 2024. She is also overseeing the formulation of the next generation of geostationary satellites known as GeoXO. NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations satellite system will continue and expand observations of Earth that the GOES-R Series currently provides.
Before joining NOAA, Sullivan managed the GOES-R Series Flight project at NASA and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 established the Presidential Rank Awards Program to recognize a select group of career members with a sustained record of exceptional performance.