[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E618-E619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO DR. DAVID RICHARD PRESTON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2000

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to Dr. David Richard 
Preston, an educator and management consultant who founded the 
Department of Organizational Behavior at Phillips Graduate Institute. 
In his capacity as Executive Director of this master's degree program, 
Dr. Preston teaches and guides the research of professional students 
who are learning how to make organizations more successful and humane.
  Albert Einstein once wrote, ``Try not to become a man of success, but 
rather a man of value.'' David Preston has spearheaded programs 
designed to promote personal, professional and organizational values 
for the past fifteen years. His efforts began as a high school student, 
when he developed and implemented events in which student leaders and 
public officials engaged in dialogue about policy, to the benefit of 
disabled students. Dr. Preston has maintained his ties to public 
education, through training teachers at UCLA and by volunteering in 
such programs as Students Run Los Angeles, in which he participated in 
the Los Angeles Marathon alongside students from Haddon Avenue 
Elementary School in Pacoima, California.
  Dr. Preston's teaching expertise has been recognized locally and 
nationally. Over the

[[Page E619]]

past seven years, his courses at UCLA have received praise from 
students and colleagues. He is sought after by professional 
associations and corporations for his expertise on topics such as team 
building, time management, leadership and motivation. Dr. Preston's 
first book, Time for Success, has helped many of his students and 
clients achieve their goals.
  Two years ago, Dr. Preston was asked to create an academic program 
that would help professionals deal with the human issues that create 
challenges in organizations.
  Phillips Graduate Institute invited Dr. Preston to write the 
curriculum, hire adjunct faculty, recruit students and create business 
alliances for what would eventually become the Department of 
Organizational Behavior. Today, the department serves approximately 
twenty students in each class. In addition to the basic skills needed 
in the business environment, each student takes courses such as Ethics, 
Conflict Resolution, and Organizational Change. Students are taught 
adult learning styles, how satisfaction is linked to performance, and 
how organizational values can lead to success beyond mere profit.
  Dr. Preston's students are as ethnically and professionally diverse 
as the organizations they serve. In a recent class, a workgroup 
included an entrepreneur, a financial planner, a human resources 
specialist, and the CEO of a hospital. The common thread that weaves 
students together is that they work with people and have the desire to 
create and maintain successful long-term working relationships. By 
teaching management strategies that emphasize values such as honesty, 
loyalty, and teamwork, Dr. Preston is giving these students the tools 
that can change the face of business.
  Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, please join me in honoring Dr. 
David Richard Preston for his service both as Executive Director at 
Phillips Graduate Institute, and for his continual efforts to foster 
action on behalf of education in the business community. He is a role 
model for educators and business leaders who want to improve 
performance within their organizations, and together improve 
cooperation and corporate citizenship as a society.

                          ____________________