[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 80 (Thursday, May 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO SANDRA ESTY

 Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I would like to recognize Ms. 
Sandra ``Sandi'' J. Esty, one of our most distinguished civil servants 
who will retire from Federal service on June 7, 2008, after 
contributing over 35 years of dedicated service to our country. She 
serves as the Chief, Air Operations Division, Office of Legislative 
Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, 
Washington, DC. She is responsible for managing, planning, developing 
and executing all facets of congressional travel matters for the 
Department of the Air Force. Ms. Esty also serves as the senior adviser 
and special assistant to the Director, Legislative Liaison and Air 
Force leadership with oversight of the Air Force Congressional Travel 
Program.
  Ms. Esty left Syracuse, NY, in 1972 to begin her illustrious civil 
service career as a clerk-stenographer in the Office of the Air Force 
Reserve, the Pentagon. After demonstrating remarkable competence in 
working congressional constituent inquiries, she was selected to work 
Air Force constituent issues in the Secretary of the Air Force 
Legislative Liaison Inquiry Division, in 1975. She was promoted and 
served a short tour as the Administrative Assistant for the Secretary 
of the Air Force Space Systems, Budget Office before being asked to 
return to the Air Force Legislative Liaison Branch in 1981, this time 
as the Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Air Operations Division 
in Legislative Liaison. She was promoted in 1983 and served as 
Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air 
Force for Acquisition, Electronic Warfare. In 1985, she returned to 
Legislative Liaison as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of 
Legislative Liaison and then was assigned as an action officer in the 
White House Liaison Branch, Legislative Liaison, where she established 
herself as one of the top leaders of Legislative Liaison. In 1988, she 
was promoted and selected as the Deputy Chief, Air Operations Division, 
Legislative Liaison, and then, in 1997, she was promoted as a GS-15 and 
continued to serve in her current position as Chief, Air Operations 
Division.
  During her tenure in the Air Operations Division, Ms. Esty was 
responsible for all the travel requirements of Members and staff of 
Congress arranged by the Air Force. Ms. Esty's calm, logical, thorough 
method of dealing with unique situations involved some of this 
country's most important citizens, its legislators. Her true dedication 
to ``doing it right,'' the absolute insistence on honesty and 
integrity, and the patience under extreme daily pressure are the 
standards that Ms. Esty leaves for all those who follow. She 
coordinated and executed over 10,000 congressional trips worldwide, to 
include the movement of approximately 70,000 Members and staff of 
Congress to 193 countries and 7 continents. I personally travelled on 
many of the trips with the Senate Armed Services delegations that Ms. 
Esty arranged, coordinated, and flight followed. Each was a complete 
success.
  I join my colleagues in expressing our sincere appreciation to Ms. 
Esty who has provided many years of dedicated and professional service 
to the Congress and the U.S. Air Force and wish her well in all her 
future endeavors.

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