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“Celebrating the most noteworthy achievements and contributions of our citizens is important, and something this office is uniquely situated to do,” Governor Otter said. “We are looking for individuals who have distinguished themselves through their civic virtue and brought great credit to Idaho.”
The Idaho Medal of Achievement was created by Executive Order in November 2015 to recognize individual Idahoans for their “exceptional, meritorious, and inspirational” service to the people of Idaho.
NASA teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan became the first Idahoan to receive the prestigious honor in January 2017 at the conclusion of Governor Otter’s State of the State address before a joint session of the Idaho Legislature.
Morgan spent 24 years as an elementary school teacher and was the back-up to Christa McAuliffe, who was to be America’s first teacher in space. Following McAuliffe’s death in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Morgan became the first teacher-astronaut to travel to space aboard the shuttle Endeavor in 2007.
The Idaho Medal of Achievement is awarded annually to individuals – living or dead – who are nominated by the public. The four-member, nonpartisan Idaho Medal of Achievement Commission advances the names of no more than five finalists for the Governor’s consideration.
The public is encouraged to go to the Governor’s website and submit a nomination form for deserving individuals for the 2019 award. All nominations must be postmarked if by U.S. mail and received in the Governor’s Office if by electronic mail no later than March 31, 2018.
The Medal of Achievement Commission includes former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Linda Copple Trout, businessman and philanthropist Skip Oppenheimer, Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) board member Kirk Sullivan, and last year’s recipient Barbara Morgan, who assumed her new role as a commissioner shortly after last year’s award presentation.
The recipient of the Idaho Medal of Achievement for the current year will be named in January 2018.