PRESS RELEASE
-For Immediate Release-
September 10, 2008

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 683-4812, bgumm@ombwatch.org

OMB Watch Announces Winners of Public Interest Hall of Fame and Rising Star Awards

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2008—OMB Watch is pleased to announce the winners of its Public Interest Hall of Fame and Public Interest Rising Star Awards. The awards are part of OMB Watch's year-long 25th Anniversary celebration.

The Public Interest Hall of Fame Awards honor the "unsung heroes" who have made their mark in making the world a better place and will leave an important legacy. The Public Interest Rising Star Awards recognize the outstanding, dedicated work of younger people and encourage their continued efforts to promote and protect the public interest for many years to come.

All award winners will be recognized at OMB Watch's 25th Anniversary event in Washington, DC, the evening of Sept. 17.

The public interest award winners are:

Public Interest Hall of Fame

• Thomas Blanton, The National Security Archive, Washington, DC
• Richard Burns, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, New York, NY
• Richard Engler, New Jersey Work Environment Council, Trenton, NJ
• Ronald E. Jackson, Citizens for Better Schools, Birmingham, AL
• David R. Jones, Community Service Society of New York, New York, NY
• Robert McIntyre, Citizens for Tax Justice, Washington, DC
• Marylee Orr, Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), Baton Rouge, LA

Public Interest Rising Stars

• Aileen Carr, Congressional Hunger Center, Washington, DC
• Jotaka Eaddy, formerly USAction, Washington, DC
• Caroline Farrell, Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, Delano, CA
• Erika Hagensen, The Arc & United Cerebral Palsy Disability Policy Collaboration, Washington, DC
• Jason Sabo, United Ways of Texas, Austin, TX

Gary D. Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch, said of the award winners, "This group of people represents the most dedicated and energetic of those who work every day to protect basic rights and improve the quality of life for all of us, but who are rarely recognized for their crucial contributions. The OMB Watch board of directors and staff understand that progressive social change is complex; it takes a national community, and it takes persistence. Our success as an organization is linked to the success of public interest advocates across the country. That is why OMB Watch is proud to present these leaders with these awards, and it is our sincere hope that all of them continue to work for the public interest for many years to come. Our communities, our nation, and our world are better off because of these champions."

The awards process started with an open nominations period in early 2008. An awards committee, comprised of seven judges, reviewed nearly 100 nominations. For the top 22 candidates, further assessment was conducted, including interviewing references.

Bass added that the awards committee was overwhelmed with the high-quality nominations from across the public interest community. He stressed, "It was incredibly difficult for the committee to choose just 12 award winners, but we considered that to be a positive sign that the public interest community continues to attract people who are committed to the missions and success of their organizations."

For more information about OMB Watch's 25th Anniversary, click here.

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OMB Watch is a nonprofit government watchdog organization dedicated to promoting government accountability, citizen participation in public policy decisions, and the use of fiscal and regulatory policy to serve the public interest