Oneonta grad honored for work in Washington

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June 28, 2012

Oneonta grad honored for work in Washington

By Denise Richardson Staff Writer The Daily Star Thu Jun 28, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

Jonathan Kang, a 1992 Oneonta High School graduate, has joined prestigious ranks.

Kang, deputy assistant general counsel with the federal Government Accountability Office, has received an Arthur S. Flemming Award award for his legal achievements.

According to his citation, his achievements were in handling hundreds of bid protests of federal contracts worth tens of billions of dollars. The cases involved topics ranging from major weapons systems, information technology, health care service and Medicare/Medicaid reform and counterterrorism and security. Kang guided "difficult decisions on procurement ethics and conflicts of interest, and wrote landmark decisions for the federal procurement community," the commendation said.

"It's nice to be recognized for the work I really care about," Kang said Wednesday.

Kang said he is pleased to be among distinguished recipients, including the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who had a home in Pindars Corners.

The George Washington University and the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission present 12 awards annually in three categories -- applied science, engineering and mathematics; research; and managerial or legal achievement. For the past 62 years, Flemming Awards have recognized outstanding men and women in the federal government. The awards were established in 1948 in honor of Flemming's commitment to public service, which spanned seven decades and 11 presidencies.

Flemming, during his association with the program, has thanked the honorees for "going the extra mile in service to their country," according The George Washington University website. Other previous recipients include Paul Volcker Jr., John Chancellor, Neil Armstrong, Mary Elizabeth Hanford (now known as Elizabeth Dole), Robert Gates and William Phillips, a Nobel laureate in 1997.

Kang, 37, graduated from Vassar College in 1996 and worked two years in Washington, D.C., as a paralegal. He graduated in 2001 from The George Washington University Law School, after which he worked three years for a private law firm before joining the Government Accountability Office almost eight years ago.

In its nomination document, the GAO said Kang's "legal accomplishments and effort have be instrumental in helping GAO meet its obligations to the Congress and the American people."

Kang said he appreciates that the award recognizes the efforts of federal government employees.

"It's a job I absolutely love," Kang said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "I enjoy coming up with the right decision, rather than arguing cases."

Adm. Thad Allen delivered the keynote address at the dinner for recipients, a report in George Washington Today said about the June 4 awards event. Allen said recipients are respected leaders who have navigated "complex problems" in an increasingly bureaucratic world and have collaborated across agencies and organizations to tackle "hard things" in their respective fields on behalf of the United States.

Awardees were selected by the Flemming Awards Commission and a panel of judges. In 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded Flemming the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.