Peter Griffith has been awarded NASA’s Outstanding Public Leadership Medal for his leadership supporting NASA’s carbon cycle and ecosystems programs. Jeffery Masek, Chief of the Biospheric Science Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center, nominated Peter, saying "Dr. Griffith has played a vital role in coordinating and managing carbon cycle and ecosystems research across NASA, managing logistics for NASA field programs, and in furthering interagency partnerships among NASA, NOAA, DOE, and other partner agencies. In so doing, he has significantly advanced NASA's role within the U.S. Carbon Cycle research community, and enhanced the quality of the science resulting from NASA's investments".

The Outstanding Public Leadership Medal is awarded to non-Government employees for notable leadership accomplishments that have significantly influenced the NASA Mission. As one of NASA's most prestigious medals, the leadership excellence must be demonstrated in all of the following areas:

• Achieving Results--Highly effective in achieving positive results/change. Impact and importance of work achievements toward NASA's missions and image are a direct result of the individual's contributions and efforts.
• Role Model--Consistent and exemplary behavior that models NASA's core values and promotes these values within the Agency.
• Leading People--Cooperative collaboration and teamwork across the organizational, directorate, Agency, Government or industry level to accomplish expected results.
• Influencing Change--Innovative approaches used in the conception, design, or execution of projects, programs, initiatives, and activities (work represents a high degree of creativity or fundamental departure from usual practice).