[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8630-H8631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING DONNA SMITH ON HER RETIREMENT AS LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis of California) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
the end of a distinguished career and yet the beginning of new ad 
ventures and horizons.
  This week my legislative counsel Donna Smith is retiring from my 
congressional office, ending an extensive and dedicated career of 
public service.
  For the past 5 years in Washington, Donna has handled what she 
referred to as the three Es: education, energy, and the environment, as 
well as many other issues.
  Donna is a California native born in Los Angeles. Her family soon 
relocated to San Diego. And what would be L.A.'s loss became San 
Diego's gain.
  She graduated from Pomona College and received a teaching credential 
from UC Berkeley and began an 18-year teaching career. She instructed 
students in English, social studies, journalism, and history. She 
taught at the San Diego Unified School District and served as the 
junior high school principal and teacher for the San Diego Jewish 
Academy. During these years of mentoring and teaching, Donna was also 
active in the community and began her interest in public policy and 
politics.
  Our association together began as members of the League of Women 
Voters where she served as the League's vice president from 1973 to 
1977.
  She helped introduce me to the issues I came to embrace and to the 
invaluable discourse of pro-con discussions for which the League is 
well known. At the same time, we were all building long-lasting 
relationships.
  In 1992, Donna was appointed by San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor as a 
member of the San Diego City Council Elections, Campaign, and 
Government Advisory Board. And as a member of the board, she was 
instrumental in formulating a proposal for a San Diego ethics 
commission.
  Donna holds a myriad of other interests beyond creating sound public 
policy. She loves music; travel; the arts;

[[Page H8631]]

and, of course, spending time with her three grandchildren. And when 
most of us are content cruising through life with our careers and 
family, Donna's love of learning and public policy motivated her to get 
her legal degree from UCLA in 1996.

                              {time}  1815

  Before I came to Congress, Donna served as my chief of staff in my 
final two terms as a member of the California State Assembly. Any chief 
of staff who oversees a district and legislative office knows that job 
has its rewards, but also many challenges. As I transitioned to 
Congress, Donna came east to Washington to fulfill a long-time goal of 
developing public policy, a job she is well suited for. She has an 
ability to put her arms around an issue and see all sides of it. 
Instead of sound bites, Donna is always able to see the whole picture.
  She has been so much more than a trusted adviser on the issues. She 
has been a partner in crafting legislation on teacher quality, 
improving curriculum, promoting renewable energy, protecting open 
spaces in San Diego, and negotiating the complex issues of the 2000 
electricity crisis in San Diego.
  In the midst of immersing herself in politics and policy, Donna has 
also immersed herself in the cultural and artistic endeavors that 
Washington has to offer, as she did in San Diego.
  She is not only a multitasker, but a multi-talented renaissance 
woman. From playing her cello, to singing in the choir at the National 
Cathedral, to traveling to such exotic locales as Egypt, New Zealand 
and India, it can certainly be said that Donna has not let life pass 
her by.
  Many of us in Congress know that a good staff is the key component to 
our ability to create public policy, and Donna has been such a vital 
asset to my office and to my successes as a public servant. Donna has 
been more than an invaluable member of the staff; she has been a good 
and loyal friend.
  She not only will be missed in our office. I am sure she will go on 
and be envied by all of us. As we are all heading off to work next 
week, Donna will continue to travel, to sing, to play and taste the 
flavors life has to offer. And in the middle of all that, she will find 
and give great joy as the consummate grandparent. And knowing Donna, 
she will be an active player in making our country and the world a 
better place to live.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing the years of hard 
work and public service that Donna Smith has provided to San Diego, to 
California, to the Congress, and to our Nation.
  Thank you, Donna.

                          ____________________