[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RETIREMENT OF LEANNA M. GOUTHRO AFTER 31 YEARS WITH THE FEDERAL 
                               GOVERNMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2004

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. 
Leanna M. Gouthro, a constituent of mine from Silver Spring, MD, who 
will be retiring at the end of this month after 31 years of service 
with the Federal Government. Ms. Gouthro's most recent, and longest, 
Federal service has been with the Federal Deposit Insurance 
Corporation. The mission of the FDIC is to provide stability to the 
Nation's financial system by insuring depositors' funds up to $100,000 
and by supervising over 5,000 state-chartered banks that are not 
members of the Federal Reserve System. Ms. Gouthro has contributed to 
the FDIC's mission through her extraordinary accomplishments in the 
agency's Office of Legislative Affairs.
  While they may not realize it, many of my colleagues who have sent 
inquiries to the FDIC over the years have benefited from the talents 
and energy of Lee Gouthro. When Lee joined the FDIC in 1987, there was 
no system in place for tracking congressional correspondence, other 
than a rudimentary hard copy filing system. She recognized the 
opportunity created by computers and set up a system that would impose 
controls and accountability for correspondence tracking, seeking 
special permission from then-Chairman William Seidman for the 
acquisition of a personal computer--the first one obtained for any of 
the FDIC's executive offices. As many of my colleagues may remember 
from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, the banking and savings and 
loan industry was, to say the least, in great turmoil. The impact on 
our constituents was extremely difficult.
  Lee not only handled the FDIC's correspondence system, but 
implemented the system for the Resolution Trust Corporation and was 
instrumental in hiring and training personnel for handling the RTC's 
system. With over 2,100 bank and savings institutions failing during 
this time period--with almost three-quarters of a trillion dollars in 
assets--many of our constituents faced uncertainty on loan payments, 
checking accounts, safe-deposit boxes--many of the things they take for 
granted. Over this time period, the constituent complaints and 
correspondence became increasingly complicated, sensitive and 
controversial. Lee was always the consummate team player and never 
deviated from her focus on quality, accuracy and responsiveness to the 
Congress. She developed and managed a process that provided answers to 
congressional inquiries in an average of 2 weeks, an exceptional 
standard of excellence that allows Senators and Members of Congress to 
address issues promptly. The result of Lee's overall efforts is a 
correspondence system that is a model for other regulatory agencies and 
government offices. Officials from the White House, Federal Reserve 
Board, Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision and 
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board have either visited the 
FDIC's offices to see her first-class system or have invited Lee to 
their offices to consult in setting up their own correspondence 
systems.
  As Lee Gouthro retires, I know that my colleagues join me in wishing 
her well in her future endeavors and expressing our appreciation for 
her service to the American people and their elected representatives.

                          ____________________