[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E255-E256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LORI EDWARDS
______
HON. ALAN GRAYSON
of florida
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History
Month, to recognize the service of Lori Edwards. Lori has been the
Supervisor of Elections in Polk County, Florida, since January 2001. As
the Executive Officer responsible for administering fair elections,
maintaining voter rolls, and providing voter registration services,
Lori has conducted more than 150 successful elections while serving in
this non-partisan elected position.
Lori is active in the leadership of the Florida State Association of
Supervisors of Elections, where she currently serves as president. She
has created a task force to recruit and train bilingual election
workers to ensure Florida's growing population of Hispanic voters are
accommodated. She has also conducted many regional educational
workshops for election administrators focusing on a variety of topics
including redistricting, voter education and absentee voting.
Lori's recent efforts have included an emphasis on modernizing
Florida's voter registration system and advocating for the advancement
in voting machine technology nationwide.
As a member of the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC)
Standards Board, she serves with advisors from around the nation who
review voluntary voting system guidelines and provide guidance to the
EAC on the administration of Federal elections.
In addition to state certification in her field, Lori earned
designation as a Certified Elections Registration Administrator from
The Election Center in cooperation with Auburn University. This is the
profession's highest recognition, and serves as national certification.
Most recently, she attended the International Center for Parliamentary
Studies in London, England where she earned a Professional Certificate
in Electoral Processes.
Prior to her service as Supervisor of Elections, Lori served four
two-year terms in the Florida House of Representatives representing the
residents of eastern Polk County in the Florida Legislature. Her major
legislative projects included restructuring Florida's juvenile justice
system, performance-based budgeting, worker's compensation laws, and
welfare reform.
Lori has also worked for the Center for Policy Alternatives in
Washington, DC, helping to develop curricula and train new State
Legislators at bi-annual retreats. Training topics included conflict,
values, power, and communications.
A committed environmentalist, Lori served as Florida Coordinator of
the National Audubon Society's ``Population and Habitat'' campaign,
organizing and training Florida activists to raise awareness of the
impact of population growth on the environment. She is currently
studying to become a Florida Master Naturalist through the University
of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences program.
Lori is an alumna of Executive Education at the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard University, where she studied the Art
and Practice of Leadership Development and participated in a program
for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. She was also
chosen to participate in the Program for Emerging Political Leaders
offered by the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the
University of Virginia. Lori was a Flemming Fellow at the Center for
Policy Alternatives in Washington, D.C. and earned her Bachelor of Arts
in Organizational Management from Warner University in Lake Wales.
I am happy to honor Lori Edwards, during Women's History Month, for
her service to the Central Florida community.
Recognizing the Contributions of Commissioner Patty Sheehan
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month, to
recognize the contributions of Commissioner Patty Sheehan. Commissioner
Sheehan was first elected to the Orlando City Council in 2000. She
served as President of the Colonialtown North Neighborhood Association,
and is proud to come from a servant leadership background. She attended
the University of Central Florida where she earned her B.A. in art.
Commissioner Sheehan was formerly an Administrator with the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She serves her
constituents full time and is well known for her advocacy of pedestrian
safety, safe neighborhoods, historic preservation, and a thriving
downtown.
Currently, she serves as Vice Chair of the East Central Florida
Regional Planning Council. The Council established some of the first
neighborhood horizon planning processes, which led to successful
developments like SoDo, Mills Park, and Baldwin Park.
Commissioner Sheehan has been recognized multiple times by Orlando
Weekly and Orlando Magazine. She was also named ``Best Elected
Official'' by Watermark newspaper. She was listed as one of the ``Top
25 Inflectional Women'' by Orlando Life Magazine. Commissioner Sheehan
was also awarded the ``Diversity Champion Award'' by the Asian American
Chamber of Commerce in 2013. She has twice been a finalist for
``Downtowner of the Year.'' She was also recognized as a ``Woman of
Distinction'' by the Girl Scouts of America, Citrus Council.
Commissioner Sheehan is proudest of her role in the restoration of
the iconic Lake Eola Fountain, the addition of 1.3 acres to Lake Eola
Park, the preservation of the Eola House, and construction of sidewalks
for children walking to and from school. She was the first openly gay
elected official in Central Florida, and passed domestic partnership
legislation and non-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.
She is an urban agriculture advocate, and championed community gardens
and urban chickens. She also worked with the Trust for Public Land to
acquire the Orlando Urban Trail (OUT).
Commissioner Sheehan is a huge supporter of small business and
Orlando's Mainstreet Districts. She represents the Downtown South,
Mills50 and Thornton Park Mainstreets. She also lobbied and passed a
Florida State Law allowing for Doggie Dining on outdoor patios in
downtown Orlando. She is also the founder and chairperson for Wheels
for Kids, which has provided over 1,000 bicycles to needy elementary
and middle school students in Reeves Terrace public housing.
Commissioner Sheehan enjoys many outdoor activities including
gardening, paddle boarding and Dragon Boat racing. As a local artist
who exhibits her ``Bad Kitty'' paintings in local clubs and shops, she
is an avid proponent of the Arts and Culture in Orlando. She lives in a
1928 bungalow with her Chinese Crested dog, Maxine, Nina Simone (a diva
kitty) and Jazz (a wild English Springer Spaniel), along with Peep,
Cheep, & Bleep (her mini flock of urban chickens).
I am happy to honor Commissioner Patty Sheehan, during Women's
History Month, for her leadership and service to the Central Florida
Community.
Recognizing the Contributions of Anna Eskamani
Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to
recognize Anna Eskamani. An Iranian-American and Central Florida
native, Anna graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in
the spring of 2012 with dual degrees in Political Science and Women's
Studies, and a Certificate in Service Learning.
As an undergrad, Anna spent the majority of her time writing,
advocating, and organizing for social justice. She first began her
advocacy work in the environmental movement, but quickly became an
advocate for international human rights via her Vice Presidency of the
Iranian Student Organization. In the summer of 2010, Anna turned her
focus to domestic issues, when she became Vice President of the College
Democrats at UCF and the Women's Caucus Chair of the Florida College
Democrats. In April 2011, Anna founded
[[Page E256]]
``Keep PBS In Orlando,'' an initiative to preserve Central Florida's
local PBS station. The campaign helped create WUCF-TV.
Anna continued to write, not only in leading publications like The
Huffington Post and Orlando Sentinel, but also academically. In March
2011, Anna completed her undergraduate honors thesis focusing on
feminism in Iran. Anna presented her thesis, which received high
remarks, at several research conferences.
Upon graduation Anna was awarded the Order of Pegasus, the highest
honor that a UCF senior can receive. She also graduated with the
highest GPA in the College of Undergraduate Studies, an achievement
that allowed her to be a part of UCF's Platform Party during
commencement ceremonies.
Anna didn't stop there. Now a graduate student at UCF pursuing dual
master's degrees in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management,
Anna works full-time at Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando as the
organization's External Affairs Manager. In her position, Anna
maintains the organization's development and public affairs programs.
Anna continues to be very involved in the UCF and Central Florida
community. In February 2013, she launched an on-campus initiative
called ``Project Bithlo,'' with the goal of engaging UCF students,
faculty, and staff in the transformative work occurring in the
historically neglected community of Bithlo. Only a year after its
founding, Project Bithlo has connected hundreds of UCF students to
Bithlo. The project is succeeding in bringing together both the College
Democrats and College Republicans in an effort to show solidary with
the families of this overlooked community.
Anna also sits on the board of numerous organizations, including the
Orange County League of Women Voters, Orange County Democratic
Executive Committee, Democratic Women's Club of Greater Orlando,
Democratic Women's Club Florida, UCF Women's Studies Advisory Council,
and Planned Parenthood's Network of Volunteer Advocates.
A lifelong feminist, Anna is excited to continue her work to better
the lives of women and her local community.
I am happy to honor Anna Eskamani, during Women's History Month, for
her leadership and service to the Central Florida community.
Recognizing the Leadership of Ida V. Eskamani
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month, to
recognize Ida V. Eskamani, a young woman with a passion for public
service. A first-generation Iranian-American born and raised in
Orlando, Florida, Ms. Eskamani believes that individual success is
directly tied to the success of her community, and is committed to
serving underserved and underrepresented communities.
She began her career in public service as an undergraduate at the
University of Central Florida (UCF), where she was active in several
campus organizations focused on women's rights, equality, environmental
justice, and social justice. As President of the College Democrats at
UCF, she worked to empower and educate thousands of students through
voter registration drives, rallies, and marches, and established the
organization as an integral part of Central Florida's progressive
movement. Ms. Eskamani earned dual degrees from UCF in Political
Science and Sociology in 2012. She was also awarded the national
President's Service Award for devoting more than 500 hours to community
service in a 12-month period; as well as UCF's most prestigious award,
the Order of Pegasus, for exemplary achievements in academics, service,
and leadership.
Following graduation, Ms. Eskamani led the development team of the
Orange County Democratic Party, helping them to break fundraising
records. She also joined Senator Bill Nelson's re-election campaign as
the youngest staff member, working as a Press and Research Assistant.
Following the 2012 elections, Ida was selected out of thousands of
applicants to serve as a White House Intern in the Office of
Presidential Personnel for the spring 2013 term. Upon her return to the
Sunshine State, she spent her time as a Digital and Community Organizer
with Florida CHAIN, an organization dedicated to increasing access to
affordable healthcare, and as a member of the finance team for State
Representative Joe Saunders' re-election campaign.
Ms. Eskamani joined Equality Florida, the states' lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization in 2014 as a
Development Associate based in Orlando. In her role she assists in
organizing and executing fundraising and development programs in
Sarasota, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee. She is also currently
pursuing dual master's degrees in Public Administration and Nonprofit
Management at UCF.
I am happy to honor Ida Eskamani, during Women's History Month, for
her leadership and service to the Central Florida community.
____________________