[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 150 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DOROTHY LIND

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2000

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, today I honor Ms. Dorothy 
Lind for her 12 years of dedicated service to the people of Napa 
County, California and the surrounding region. Ms. Lind retired on 
November 24, 2000 from an exceptional career as Chief Executive Officer 
of the Napa Valley Exposition.
  Dorothy Lind was raised in Seattle, Washington and moved to 
California in the early 1970's. She began her professional career 
conducting early intervention for severely disabled infants. In the 
late 70's she was selected to direct health education programs for the 
Bay Area March of Dimes, overseeing medical and research grants. In 
1983 Ms. Lind made another career change by accepting a position as 
Manager of the Tulare County Fair. Her success in this position was 
remarkable; she doubled the Fair's budget in just four years and was 
selected as Tulare County's ``Woman of the Year'' in 1988.
  Her achievements in Tulare gave Ms. Lind the opportunity to lead the 
Napa Valley Exposition. As CEO her duties involved not only organizing 
events for a major public facility but also building links with 
government, community, and business groups. One highlight of her 
exceptional leadership in this capacity was the creation of the ``Bingo 
Emporium'', a partnership that raises over $1 million annually for many 
Napa County non-profit organizations and school programs.
  While the Expo is host to several major public events throughout the 
year, the highlight of the Expo's calendar is the five-day Napa Town 
and Country Fair in August. A defining characteristic of her 
stewardship of this event was a commitment to reflect the changing face 
of the Oxbow Neighborhood, recognizing that fairs (in her words), ``can 
either become a major positive force in their neighborhood for good 
things or become the blight that causes the neighborhood to decline.'' 
During her tenure the Expo was named as the pilot fair for the 
California Fair System's Re-Invention Program which was designed to re-
focus community connections and entrepreneurial business interactions 
for fairgrounds statewide.
  Dorothy Lind's contributions to the city of Napa are equally 
impressive. She has served as President of the Napa Rotary Club (the 
first woman to fill that position) and is a member of the Napa River 
Coalition, the Downtown Merchants Association, the Napa County Land 
Trust, and the Napa Valley Leadership Council. Through these 
organizations she has facilitated partnerships that have been 
invaluable in fostering commercial prosperity in the City of Napa.
  In addition to her considerable public successes, Ms. Lind is also a 
proud mother of two sons: Rob, a promising local wine maker and Scott, 
a rising Bay-area dot.com star. Ms. Lind will also soon be a 
grandmother.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been my great honor to represent Ms. Dorothy Lind 
first as her State Senator and now as her Congressman. Clearly, her 
life has been one of great public service, dedication and commitment. 
For these reasons, it is necessary that we honor this woman for her 
distinguished service to the people of Napa County, California.

                          ____________________