[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMENDING NATALIE WILSON CRAWFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, although women have climbed to the highest 
reaches of outer space, the number of women who have risen to positions 
of prominence within the U.S. aerospace industry can be counted on one 
hand. I am therefore particularly proud to commend a fellow 
Californian, Mrs. Natalie Wilson Crawford, for her four decades of 
service promoting the security of the American people through her work 
at the Santa Monica headquarters of RAND. In 1964, Mrs. Crawford became 
a member of the professional staff of the RAND Corporation, an 
internationally known and highly respected think tank, and has since 
held a broad range of research-related senior management positions.
  For the past nine years, Mrs. Crawford has been a Vice President of 
RAND and the Director of Project AIR FORCE, RAND's first research 
division founded in 1946 under the name of Project RAND. For 60 years, 
Project AIR FORCE has been the Air Force's only federally funded center 
for studies and analyses; and it has provided independent, objective 
research on a full range of issues critical to national defense.
  Mrs. Crawford's international reputation as an expert on air and 
space power made her especially well suited for this role. During her 
tenure, she worked closely with senior leaders of the Air Force to 
build a powerful research agenda in areas such as geopolitical 
strategy, aerospace force development, resource management, and 
manpower.
  The Air Force has formally honored Mrs. Crawford many times. She has 
twice been awarded the Air Force's Decoration for Exceptional Civilian 
Service. In 2003, she received both the Lifetime Achievement Award from 
the Air Force Analytic Community and the Lieutenant General Glenn Kent 
Leadership Award. She has also been the Department of the Air Force's 
Woman of the Year. Today, the members of the United States House of 
Representatives have the opportunity to add our expression of 
appreciation for her loyal and dedicated service.
  In October, Mrs. Crawford stepped down from her administrative roles 
in Project AIR FORCE. However, she will continue to act as a senior 
advisor to RAND's chief executive officer and she will be a senior 
mentor to the USAF Scientific Advisory Board, a group with which she 
has been affiliated since 1988.
  I thank Natalie Crawford for all that she has done to ensure the 
safety and security of the United States, and I wish her every success 
in her future endeavors.

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