Moises Benhabib (’15) received the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award in June of 2018. Moises’ receipt of this award is credited to his “extraordinary leadership, customer service, and innovation” in leading the Bureau of Legislative Affairs Freedom of Information Act program and to his commitment to “simultaneously streamlining and overhauling the clearance process used by the Department’s Policy Planning Staff,” according to the State Department.
Moises has received similar awards for outstanding performance in the past. In November of 2016, the Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr awarded Moises the State Department Performance Award in recognition of his “high-level performance and sustainment of official duties” in his position at the Department of State.
Moises traces his skills that he uses to succeed in the State Department back to his education at the Institute. In a 2015 interview with IWP, he reflected on how his classes “really helped [him] with…[getting] in the mind of what a policy maker or senior official has to deal with on a day to day basis. Knowing that you are able to tailor information so that they are able to do their jobs with the timely, accurate information they need to make informed decisions is indispensable.”
Benhabib currently maintains a position as a Special Assistant to the Executive Secretariat Staff within the Office of the Secretary of State.