[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1845-E1846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MS. RHONDA GERSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AID TO VICTIMS OF 
                             DOMESTIC ABUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 18, 2000

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize and pay 
tribute to Rhonda Gerson, Executive Director of Aid to Victims of 
Domestic Abuse, for her service on behalf of domestic violence victims.
  A 1998 report by the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that the 
rate of domestic violence in many categories has been declining over 
the past decade. I believe the downward trend is directly attributable 
to the outreach efforts by such individuals as Rhonda Gerson.
  Ms. Gerson has been the Executive Director of Aid to Victims of 
Domestic Abuse since 1981. For the first five years, she served in this 
capacity without ever receiving a paycheck. During her time with the 
agency, Ms. Gerson has advocated for the safety of battered women on a 
local, state and national level.
  In the early 1980s, Ms. Gerson served on a Houston Police Department 
(HPD) task force to review its domestic violence policy, and, in the 
late 1980s, she served on a second task force, which resulted in the 
creation of the HPD Family Violence Unit. In 1984, Ms. Gerson co-
chaired a pilot project at the Harris County District Attorney's Office 
that ultimately developed into the Family Criminal Law Division. In 
1987, the National Council of Jewish Women--Greater Houston Section 
awarded her the Hannah G. Solomon Award as a result of her leadership 
and action for social change in the area of domestic violence victims/
survivors.
  Ms. Gerson was actively involved with the Texas Council on Family 
Violence (TCFV), and from 1989 to 1994, she was the chair of the Board 
of Directors. Under her leadership, TCFV grew to be the largest state 
coalition in the country due to it stepping up to the plate and re-
opening the National Domestic Violence Hotline when its closure stunned 
the domestic violence community.
  According to Deborah Tucker, current Executive Director of the 
National Training Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence and former 
Executive Director of TCFV, Ms. Gerson was an integral part of the 
Public Policy Committee for TCFV and made an incredible contribution to 
the laws and policies designed to better protect battered women and to 
hold offenders accountable. When asked to describe Ms. Gerson's 
accomplishments, Ms. Tucker said, ``I think she is a person who is 
capable of both seeing the big picture and of noticing the impact that 
public policy initiatives and programs might have on one individual. 
Her sensitivity and native intelligence are among the most

[[Page E1846]]

developed of any persons I have known. She stands out in a quiet and 
deliberate way, through hard work and thoughtful consideration of the 
complexities involved in human behavior.''
  In 1993, Ms. Gerson was appointed by Supreme Court Justice Tom 
Phillips as a member of the Texas team to attend the National Council 
of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Conference on confronting violence 
in the family. She was a leader in the effort to create the Harris 
County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, for which she has served 
as Treasurer of the Board since 1997.
  In 1998, Ms. Gerson helped found the National Training Center on 
Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence, and she currently serves as the 
Chair of the Board of Directors. In only two years, she has helped the 
agency to grow to six staff members and an operating budget of over 
$600,000.
  Mr. Speaker, many victims of domestic violence have been touched by 
Rhonda Gerson's compassionate spirit. I ask my colleagues to join with 
me in commending Ms. Gerson for a lifetime of dedication and commitment 
to the Houston community and to all victims of domestic violence.

                          ____________________