[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 20, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H1076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING MS. DIANE S. ROARK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Madam Speaker, in the past, usually during consideration of 
the Intelligence budget, I have risen before this body and mentioned 
the superb and thoroughly knowledgeable staff that resides in the 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, of which we are very proud. 
These individuals are specially selected because of their knowledge and 
their understanding of the intelligence world, a world that is actually 
very arcane and confusing to people who do not spend time in it.
  We do not talk a lot about these folks and they do not seek 
recognition. They are not that kind. They understand that much of the 
work must be done in secret so as not to betray the sensitive 
information they handle, but let me assure my colleagues and the 
American people that this group of dedicated people works very hard, 
and they dig very deeply into the operations of the Intelligence 
Community in order to ensure that there is oversight of intelligence 
activity and that our Nation is secure and the Intelligence Community 
is playing by the rules.
  I want to specifically recognize one of these dedicated people who 
has served the committee and our country diligently for almost 2 
decades. Her name is Diane Roark, and I am sorry to say that when this 
body reconvenes in April Diane will no longer be on our staff. She is 
retiring from the House and from government service.
  Madam Speaker, Diane first joined the committee in April 1985, having 
previously served in the Department of Energy, the Department of 
Defense, and just prior to joining us, on the National Security 
Council, where she was Deputy Director of Intelligence Programs. Since 
joining the committee, Diane has excelled in the very difficult, 
technical areas of our oversight. She was the program monitor for the 
National Reconnaissance Office where she not only challenged the 
embedded bureaucracy and made it become more innovative in approaches 
to future election, but she also forced the office to restructure and 
reform their fiscal accountability system so that oversight was 
assured.
  Most recently, Diane has been our program manager for the National 
Security Agency, a vital agency for us. This agency has many, severe 
challenges, Madam Speaker, and if it were not for the efforts of Ms. 
Roark, I do believe that our committee's efforts to oversee and 
advocate for NAS would have been much less effective, and for that she 
has my personal thanks.
  Diane is known as a very dedicated, tough-minded program monitor who 
digs into the issues and forces agencies to see and understand what 
they sometimes miss themselves. She is also known as a very 
knowledgeable task master, and her arrival at an agency is often 
anticipated with apprehension.
  Those managing the community know that she is usually on the mark 
with her assessments and that she takes the public's trust very well to 
heart. Recently, one of the senior managers within the community 
commented on her performance by saying that our staff ``is very 
aggressive in their oversight and has a very serious and in-depth 
knowledge of our programs, sometimes a better understanding than some 
of the senior managers do.''
  I think that this is the type of oversight capability that the 
American people are entitled to and should demand. I cannot think of 
any greater tribute for Diane than knowing that agency leaders 
throughout the community recognize that her instincts and assessments 
are sound.
  So, Madam Speaker, it is with some sadness that I rise today to say 
farewell to a public servant who has dedicated a career to ensuring our 
security, each and every one of us. Diane's departure is truly our 
loss, although I know that her younger son, Bryce, will enjoy having 
Mom around home more. We are going to miss her.
  On behalf of the committee I thank Diane for her professionalism, her 
dedication, her unfailing commitment to our Nation and its security. We 
wish her well in her future endeavors, whatever they be. Know that she 
has served her country well and she will be missed. Job well done.

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