[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 129 (Thursday, September 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1735-E1736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE SERVICE OF MARCIA AVNER: NONPROFIT LEADER, ADVOCATE, 
                         ORGANIZER AND TEACHER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 2010

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute today to one of 
Minnesota's outstanding community leaders and a longtime resident of my 
Congressional District, Marcia Avner. This month, Marcia Avner is 
transitioning from her position as Public Policy Director for the 
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), a position she has held for the 
past 14 years, to Senior Fellow at MCN, where she will continue to do 
what she has done best for so many years; advising and training 
emerging nonprofit sector advocates at both the state and national 
levels.
  Marcia has distinguished herself in several realms. She is an 
incredibly effective and inspirational advocate and organizer, a 
teacher and promoter of the art of public advocacy, and a distinguished 
public servant at the local, state and federal levels of government. 
Her work includes advocacy and civic engagement training and education 
as well as lobbying on election reform, tax policy, and many other

[[Page E1736]]

issues important to nonprofits and the people they serve. Marcia 
teaches with her husband, Wy Spano, at the Center on Advocacy and 
Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota--Duluth, where she 
is inspiring the next generation of great nonprofit leaders. She has 
traveled all over the country and abroad, to England, Poland and 
Hungary, to conduct national advocacy and organizing institutes and 
seminars for nonprofit centers, academic centers, and for Wellstone 
Action, a nonprofit dedicated to progressive social change.
  Marcia gives a presentation called ``Lobbying for the Truly 
Intimidated,'' in which she tells the story of her own first 
legislative experience, testifying on hearing aid reform as a parent of 
a hearing impaired son. She went to the wrong building with a dome: the 
Cathedral of Saint Paul instead of the State Capitol. It was a fitting 
recognition of Marcia's dual roles that in 2003 she was recognized as 
``Teacher of the Year'' by Hamline University for her course on Public 
Policy and Nonprofits, and in the same year received ``Activist of the 
Year'' from the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action.
  Marcia has played a key role in developing the field of nonprofit 
advocacy, with numerous articles and two books: ``The Lobbying and 
Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at 
the State and Local Level'' (2002): and ``The Board Member's Guide to 
Lobbying and Advocacy'' (2004).
  Marcia's effectiveness in local, state and federal government 
relations is the result of her experience working as Communications 
Director for the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, Deputy Mayor of St. 
Paul, Executive Director of The Minnesota Project, Assistant 
Commissioner of Energy for the State of Minnesota, and Legislative 
Director with the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG).
  Not everyone knows that Marcia served in several key roles for MCN 
before she became Director of Public Policy: as one of the original 
planners in 1986 at a retreat at Wilder Forest; one of the three 
incorporators when MCN filed with the Secretary of State, and as MCN's 
first Board Chair and convener of the first MCN Annual Conference in 
1987. Marcia built MCN's public policy program and developed a national 
reputation for MCN in the areas of public policy and capacity building.
  Marcia is always generous with her time and her insights, meeting and 
speaking with small groups on nights and weekends as well as serving on 
numerous community and nonprofit boards. Her work includes serving on 
the board of directors of Lifetrack Resources, Inc., the Governor's 
Commission on Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Center for Lobbying in the 
Public Interest, Wellstone Action, the Wellstone Action Fund, and the 
Nonprofit Information Networking Association which publishes The 
Nonprofit Quarterly. Marcia has a BA from Carnegie Mellon University 
and an MA from the University of Arkansas.
  Madam Speaker, as we honor Marcia's service to the Minnesota Council 
of Nonprofits, it is fitting to quote from the dedication of her book, 
``The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations.'' As 
she quotes her grandmother, Marcia tells us something about why she has 
been and will continue to be such an effective advocate for nonprofit 
organizations in Minnesota and across the nation: ``This book is 
dedicated to nonprofits' achievements in shaping public policy--past, 
present, and future. Remember: `You Don't Ask, You Don't Get' Grandma 
Mania Zaludkowski.' ''

                          ____________________