[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF MS. CARYN A. WAGNER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2008

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Caryn A. 
Wagner, who has ably and admirably served the House Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence as the Budget Director during the 110th 
Congress. Caryn will be retiring from federal service in October; and 
the Committee and our nation will be poorer for it.
  When I took the helm of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence, I knew that I would need a Budget Director who could 
break down the complicated and technical workings of the Intelligence 
Community, communicate those incredibly complex missions, and translate 
the Committee's vision into a workable, integrated budget plan for the 
16 various elements of the Intelligence Community. I immediately sought 
out Caryn Wagner, who had served on the Committee years before, and, at 
the time, was lending her talents to the newly-established Office of 
the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as the first Chief 
Financial Officer for the National Intelligence Program.
  Not only did Caryn already understand the subtleties, intricacies, 
and challenges involved in coordinating organizations within the 
Intelligence Community, she had worked as an intelligence professional 
for over 28 years and brought with her a depth and breadth of 
experience that is rare.
  From the time she graduated from the College of William and Mary and 
was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Caryn served in 
a variety of capacities across the various intelligence agencies. She 
first served her country as a Signals Intelligence and Electronics 
Warfare Officer in Texas, Arizona, and Germany, providing both tactical 
and strategic intelligence assessments to support military operations. 
After her military service, she continued to support the nation's 
military intelligence mission as an Army civilian employee responsible 
for performing operational oversight and developing the acquisition 
process for several extensive research and development efforts.
  Following a brief stint in the private sector, Caryn brought her 
acquisition and tactical intelligence planning experience to the House 
of Representatives as a Professional Staff Member at the Permanent 
Select Committee on Intelligence. After three years in the legislative 
branch, Caryn returned to the executive branch, putting her skills to 
use for the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence 
Agency until she was tapped to be the first Chief Financial Officer for 
the National Intelligence Program at the ODNI in 2005.
  It was then, in 2007, after some gentle cajoling, the Committee 
convinced Caryn to join on as the Budget Director. And she has exceeded 
every expectation: tackling the budget requests for all 16 elements of 
the Intelligence Community, patiently explaining complicated funding 
and acquisition systems to members of Congress, and willingly sharing 
her wealth of intelligence knowledge with her coworkers.
  In developing a highly- refined technical expertise and an evolved 
understanding of the support mechanisms critical to intelligence 
missions, Caryn has played a significant role in safeguarding our 
nation. Like many intelligence professionals, she has served without 
expectation of commendation, accolade, or acknowledgement.
  For that reason, it is my great pleasure to recognize Ms. Caryn A. 
Wagner. On behalf of the House Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence, I thank Ms. Caryn A. Wagner for her 30 years of devoted 
federal service. She has served the Committee and the House with great 
distinction, and I extend our very best wishes for her continued 
success as she moves on to the next phase of an exceptional life of 
service.




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