[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 22 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              GREAT AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADER IN AGRICULTURE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2004

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pearlie S. Reed, a native of 
Heth, Arkansas, attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 
where he received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry in 1970. He 
then attended graduate school at American University in Washington, 
D.C., where he earned a degree in Public Administration-Finance in 
1980.
  Mr. Reed began his career with the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service in a temporary appointment 
in June 1968 as a Soil Conservationist Student Trainee. Thirty years 
later, in March 1998, he became the chief executive officer for USDA's 
Private Lands Conservation agency, and the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly the Soil Conservation Service. He 
served NRCS in various positions and locations including District 
Conservationist, Budget and Accounting Officer, Administrative Officer 
for NRCS National Headquarters, Deputy State Conservationist in 
Wisconsin, State Conservationist in Maryland and California, Regional 
Conservationist, and the Associate Chief for the agency. Under the 
Clinton administration, Mr. Reed served as the Acting Assistant 
Secretary for Administration that led the most powerful USDA Civil 
Rights Action Team that developed the most comprehensive report ever 
written to document the status of Civil Rights in USDA.
  As the Acting Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration, 
Mr. Reed provided leadership for USDA-wide offices and functions, such 
as the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Human Resources 
Management, procurement, contracting, and facilities and property 
management, the Office of Small Business Utilization, the National 
Office of Outreach, the Board of Contract Appeals, the Office of 
Administrative Law Judges, and the Office of the Judicial Officer.

  As the Team Leader for the Secretary's Civil Rights Action Team, Mr. 
Reed provided the leadership for recommendations to address civil 
rights problems in programs delivery and employment, and actions to 
ensure accountability and follow-through. The Secretary accepted the 
findings from that project, and committed to act on all 92 
recommendations. The work of the Civil Rights Action Team is recognized 
as setting the direction for civil rights policy at USDA that 
semantically reformed a movement within USDA.
  As the Chief of NRCS, Mr. Reed served as the executive officer for 
USDA's private lands conservation agency serving communities in all 50 
states, the Pacific Basin, and the Caribbean area. He led a 
conservation partnership consisting of over 12,000 federal employees, 
15,000 conservation district officials, 7,000 conservation district 
employees, 20,000 Earth Team volunteers, and 350 Resource Conservation 
and Development Councils. Mr. Reed served as a leader of several USDA-
wide activities, such as the chair of the USDA/1990 Task Force, chair 
of the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force, chair of the USDA 
National Food and Agriculture Council, and the USDA representative on 
the United States Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.
  As Associate Chief, Mr. Reed served as the chief operating official 
for NRCS. Under his leadership, NRCS initiated a workforce planning 
process that was recognized by the National Academy of Public 
Administration as a model for other agencies. He led the development 
and implementation of the most comprehensive reorganization of the 
agency in its 60-year history. With a strong commitment to customer 
service and conservation partnerships, he initiated the American Indian 
outreach effort for NRCS to work directly with tribes. He also provided 
leadership in the development and implementation of the Conservation 
Title of the 1996 Farm Bill.
  Mark Rey, USDA Under Secretary for the Natural Resources and 
Environment said of Mr. Reed, ``I believe that if you look up the term 
`public service' in the dictionary, you'd likely see a picture of 
Pearlie Reed there next to it.''
  Mr. Reed has had a distinguished career, with 35 years of service 
which also included international conservation experience and service 
outside the continental United States. His contributions in South 
Africa, Australia, and with the International Soil Conservation 
Organization, exemplify his span of influence as a strong leader, 
visionary, and unquestionable natural resources conservation ethic.
  Mr. Reed received numerous awards for outstanding sustained 
performance, including the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award--the 
highest award that can be bestowed upon a Career Senior Executive 
Service member. Another significant award included is the USDA 
Secretary's Honor Award for equal opportunity and civil rights that 
recognizes his vision and leadership in the most comprehensive 
reorganization in the history of NRCS.
  Other recognitions he has received includes the Professional Service 
Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts, the Soil 
and Water Conservation Society Award, the George Washington Carver 
Public Service Hall of Fame Award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award, 
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff. Another tribute to Mr. Reed was the 
naming of several campus buildings, including the Pearlie S. Reed/
Robert Cole Smith Farm Outreach-Wetland Water Management Center by the 
University of Arkansas System's Board of Trustees.
  Mr. Reed is a soft spoken man of few words; a visionary who is marked 
by foresight, and a person who has distinguished himself by making 
contributions to conservation in America that will never be forgotten. 
He is a dedicated man that has never wavered from his work ethic: 
``Each day I come to work, I think about what is important and how the 
NRCS can get more conservation on the ground.''

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