[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E362-E364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 12, 2014


            Recognizing the Contributions of Dominique Gelin

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History 
Month, to recognize Dominique Gelin. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, 
Dominique is the proud daughter of immigrant parents. She has worked to 
shape policy and mobilize members of her community.
  Dominique moved to Orlando to attend the University of Central 
Florida in the fall of 2008. It was there that she got her first taste 
of organizing her peers, encouraging them to vote and become a part of 
the process. After receiving her Bachelor's degree, she continued her 
community service, becoming a Youth Outreach Director and extending her 
work to high school students and young professionals.
  Over the years, Dominique has had the opportunity to work with 
organizations like Ruth's List Florida, the National Congress of Black 
Women, and most recently, as an Aide at the Florida House of 
Representatives. In 2011, Dominique was awarded the Achievement Award 
by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.
  She looks forward to continuing her work by advocating for those with 
the most urgent needs through compassionate leadership.
  I am happy to honor Dominique Gelin, during Women's History Month, 
for her contributions to her community.


      Recognizing the Leadership of Senator Geraldine F. Thompson

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to 
recognize Florida Senator Geraldine Thompson. Senator Thompson began 
serving the people of Florida in 1970 when she worked as a Secretary 
for State Representative Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, the first African 
American female to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. 
During her time with Representative Cherry, she learned that conditions 
could be changed and lives improved through the enactment of 
legislation.
  After working for several years, Senator Thompson enrolled at Florida 
State University from which she received a M.S. in Communication in 
1973. She and her husband moved to Orlando and immediately became 
active in the Central Florida community. She later became the Assistant 
to the President at Valencia Community College where she served for 24 
years. Among her many accomplishments was the establishment of the 
``College Reach Out Program.'' The program enabled thousands of low 
income and disadvantaged students to fulfill their dream of going to 
college.
  As a public historian, Senator Thompson's passion for history led her 
to conduct research and compile documents which resulted in the 
publication of a book, Black America Series: Orlando, Florida, in 2003. 
She is also credited with preserving one of Orlando's unique landmarks, 
The Wells' Built Hotel, which housed some of America's most prominent 
citizens, including Justice Thurgood Marshall, Ray Charles, Ella 
Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson and many more. She helped secure funds to 
convert the hotel into a museum which is known today as The Wells' 
Built Museum of African American History and Culture.
  In November 2006, Thompson was elected to serve as the first African 
American female to represent District 39 in the Florida House of 
Representatives. As a state representative, she worked to bring about 
change, including sponsoring legislation to give pregnant women 
protection under the Florida Civil Rights Act, and establishing a 
lottery Ticket for the Cure to benefit breast cancer victims. On 
November 18, 2008, she was unanimously selected by her legislative 
colleagues to serve as the Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, the second 
highest ranking Democrat in the Florida House of Representatives. In 
November 2012, Thompson was elected to the Florida Senate. In December 
2012, Senator Thompson was elected Chairman of the Orange County 
Legislative Delegation. She is the first female and African-American to 
hold the position of Chair.
  Senator Thompson has been recognized with numerous awards. She 
received the Florida Education Association's Mary McLeod Bethune 
Humanitarian Award and the National Education Association's prestigious 
Mary Hatwood Futrell Award for her outstanding human rights work toward 
the advancement and education of women and girls. She is also a 
recipient of the Executive Women Award, the Legislative Award from the 
American Cancer Society, and the Martin Luther King Award from the 
Greater Orlando Alliance of Black School Education. She is also an 
Executive Board Member of the National Black Caucus of State 
Legislators.
  Senator Thompson enjoys every opportunity to give back, such as 
arranging to have 40 students from Jones High School in Orlando attend 
the inaugurations of President Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013. She is 
married to the Honorable Emerson R. Thompson, Jr. She has three 
children, Laurise, Emerson III, and Elizabeth, and is the proud 
grandmother of four.
  I am happy to honor Senator Geraldine Thompson, during Women's 
History Month, for her leadership and service to the Central Florida 
community.

[[Page E363]]

               recognizing the leadership of cheryl grieb

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to 
recognize Cheryl Grieb. Cheryl's recently widowed mother moved her and 
her three brothers from New Jersey to Kissimmee, Florida in 1974. 
Cheryl's Mom did not come from money and worked very hard in real 
estate to support her four young children. Following in her mother's 
footsteps, Cheryl started her career as a realtor at the age of 18. At 
age 24, she purchased her Mom's real estate company and opened her 
second real estate company at age 30.
  Cheryl's Mom raised her to be active in her community and give back 
to society. In her twenties, Cheryl was appointed to the Osceola County 
Parks and Recreation Committee where she served for seven years. While 
on the Committee, she was involved with the purchase of the Overstreet 
property which became a 400 acre regional park. In addition to her 
passion for the environment, Cheryl loves historic structures. She 
spearheaded a task force that successfully preserved the historic 
Osceola High School for over five years, until the devastating 
hurricanes of 1994 finally sealed its fate. Cheryl was also on a task 
force which formed the first historic district in downtown Kissimmee 
and began a historic home tour in the downtown area.
  As a realtor, Cheryl recognized the need to help low-income 
individuals to secure affordable housing. Along with a handful of 
dedicated people, she formed Habitat for Humanity of Osceola County. 
Habitat has helped numerous people in Osceola County realize the dream 
of homeownership. Her other community activities include Co-Chairing 
the Kissimmee Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. The cause 
is near and dear to Cheryl's heart as her partner, Patti, is a cancer 
survivor.
  After her election as City Commissioner in 2006, Cheryl became even 
more involved in her community. She has served as a Board Member of 
Community Vision, two-time Chair of the East Central Florida Regional 
Planning Council, Chair and Council Member of the Tourist Development 
Council, Chair of the Greater Osceola Partnership or Economic 
Prosperity, and Director for Florida PACE. In addition, she was 
instrumental in passing domestic partner benefits for the employees of 
the City of Kissimmee. This victory won her the ``Voice for Equality'' 
award from Equality Florida.
  In June of 2007, Cheryl's Mom had an asthma attack that caused a 
fatal heart attack claiming her life. In response to the tragic loss of 
her Mom and role model, Cheryl decided to have an event that would 
showcase downtown Kissimmee and raise funds for the American Heart 
Association, as both her parents had succumbed to heart attacks. 
Cheryl's efforts helped create Kissimmee Main Street and the first 
annual Kiss-im-mee 5K.
  This past February was the sixth annual race which brought hundreds 
of people to downtown Kissimmee and raised thousands of dollars to help 
combat heart disease.
  I am happy to honor Cheryl Grieb, during Women's History Month, for 
her dedication to her community.


      recognizing the Career and Contributions of Pegeen Hanrahan

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to 
recognize Pegeen Hanrahan. Pegeen is a registered Professional Engineer 
and Principal of Community and Conservation Solutions, LLC. A native 
and lifelong resident of Gainesville, Florida, she served as its Mayor 
from 2004 to 2010, and as a City Commissioner from 1996 to 2002, 
leaving office both times as a result of term limits.
  Pegeen has over twenty-five years of experience in environmental 
remediation, public participation, grant writing, land conservation, 
and local government finance. With the Trust for Public Land, she has 
helped develop and pass ten successful bond or sales tax initiatives 
for land conservation and parks in Florida. She also serves as a leader 
of Florida's Water and Land Legacy (FWLL), a statewide citizen's 
initiative to provide sustained funding for land and water conservation 
and ecosystem management.
  With the support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Pegeen has 
assisted communities in the adoption of a clean energy program known as 
feed-in-tariffs (FITs). Gainesville is the first city in the U.S. to 
implement a solar FIT, also known as a CLEAN (Clean Local Energy 
Accessible Now) Program. With over 18 megawatts of solar power 
installed, Gainesville is now in the top ten in installed solar per 
capita in the U.S. Pegeen also assisted in the adoption of CLEAN 
programs in Ft. Collins, Colorado and Palo Alto, California. She has 
spoken on the topic in over 20 communities in the U.S., Canada, 
Germany, and Brazil.
  Pegeen served as an Engineer and Hazardous Materials Program Manager 
for the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department for over 
five years, a Senior Vice President of Terra-Com Environmental 
Consulting for five years, and an Executive Director of Alachua 
Conservation Trust for three years. She has been the Engineer of Record 
on numerous remediation projects to remove hazardous contaminants from 
soil and groundwater. She has also completed work in the fields of 
landfill design, stormwater management, hazardous waste management, 
climate change, sustainability, and energy conservation. She has 
completed projects for over forty different cities, counties, water 
management districts, state agencies, non-profits, and private clients.
  Pegeen has served as President of the Florida League of Mayors and 
Chair of the Alachua County Library District. In addition, she serves 
on the boards of Florida State University's LeRoy Collins Institute, 
the Mayors' Innovation Project, ICLEI-USA: Local Governments for 
Sustainability, the Children's Movement of Florida, Innovation 
Gainesville, the Alliance for Renewable Energy, Ruth's List, and 
Alachua Conservation Trust.
  She has received numerous honors, including being named a ``Woman Who 
Makes a Difference'' by the Gateway Girl Scout Council, a ``Woman of 
Distinction'' by Santa Fe College, and a ``Voice for Equality'' by 
Equality Florida. She is also a Florida Audubon ``Women in 
Conservation'' award winner and was named ``The Female Democratic 
Elected Official of the Year'' three times by the Alachua County 
Democratic Executive Committee.
  A member and former alumni sponsor of the prestigious Tau Beta Pi 
Engineering Honor Society, Pegeen holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees 
in Environmental Engineering, and a Bachelor's in Sociology from the 
University of Florida. She is a member of Leadership Florida and 
Florida Blue Key, UF's Leadership Honorary.
  Pegeen is married to Tony Malone, a Professional Engineer in the 
field of civil infrastructure. Together they are the delighted parents 
of Evyleen Mary (age eight), Quinn Joseph (age seven), and Tess Lucille 
(age three).
  I am happy to honor Pegeen Hanrahan, during Women's History Month, 
for her many contributions to the state of Florida.


             Recognizing the Service of Mary Jane Arrington

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to 
recognize Mary Jane Arrington. Led by her mother's example, Mary Jane 
has devoted her life to community involvement. Beginning in childhood, 
Mary Jane served her community through her church, school, 4-H, and 
Girl Scouts. Public service is something she is very passionate about. 
She began her public service 44 years ago when she first moved to 
Osceola County, working in her children's schools and serving on 
numerous community organization boards and committees.
  Elected in 1994, she is the first and is still the only woman to be 
elected to the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners. Mary Jane 
was elected by her peers to serve as Commission Chairman and served as 
a County Commissioner until 2002. During her tenure she was a true 
visionary working to promote regionalism and improve transportation in 
the Central Florida region. Mary Jane championed the restoration of 
Osceola County's historic courthouse and oversaw the construction of 
the new courthouse and administrative buildings.
  After her time on the commission she continued her public service as 
one of the founding Supervisors of the Toho Water Authority, a regional 
water authority. She continued in this role until 2008 when she was 
elected as Osceola County Supervisor of Elections.
  Setting milestones is something Mary Jane continues to do in her 
capacity as the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections. She has worked 
diligently to enhance the services provided to the voters of Osceola 
County. By bringing the latest technology to the Elections Office she 
has streamlined procedures and made the voting process easier and more 
accessible for voters. Her insightful leadership has received national 
recognition.
  Mary Jane has a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the 
University of Central Florida and is a graduate of Leadership Florida. 
She is one of only 800 nationally certified elections professionals 
and, this year, will be designated a Florida Master Certified Election 
Professional.
  Outside of her responsibilities as Supervisor of Elections she is 
very active in the community where she serves as Chairman of the 
Osceola County YMCA Board of Directors and as a Member of the Executive 
Board of the Central Florida YMCA. She is also a very dedicated and 
involved member of the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee.
  Mary Jane and her husband of 46 years, Curtis, have passed on their 
love of public service to their four children who also serve the 
Osceola County community and the Central Florida region in varying 
capacities. They are also extremely proud grandparents of three 
grandsons. Mary Jane follows her personal creed of ``living each day 
trying to accomplish something, not merely to exist.''

[[Page E364]]

  I am happy to honor Mary Jane Arrington, during Women's History 
Month, for her dedication to the Central Florida community.


      Recognizing the Leadership and Contributions of Donna Sines

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History Month, to 
recognize Donna Sines, Executive Director and Founder of Community 
Vision. After a stint in banking, Donna dedicated her life to helping 
Osceola County, Florida. As Executive Vice President of the Kissimmee/
Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, she worked to redevelop Downtown 
Kissimmee, transforming it from a troubled area into a point of pride 
for the city.
  She also launched Leadership Osceola County (LOC) which is 
celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. LOC has educated and 
inspired more than 1200 graduates to contribute to the betterment of 
their community and make holistic decisions regarding community 
wellbeing. LOC has hosted programs spanning the spectrum from middle-
school kids and teens to senior citizens. Donna was twice recognized by 
the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles for programs and projects she 
oversaw. She also led the effort to restore the Historic Kissimmee 
train station, the first volunteer project of its kind in Osceola 
County. A number of community playground builds in economically 
challenged areas can also be credited to Donna.
  In 1995, Donna left the Chamber to start a grass-roots, non-profit 
organization called Community Vision. Working out of her living room, 
Donna worked to unite her community in a shared vision. Thousands from 
all walks of life participated and a movement was born. In 2004, when 
four hurricanes ravaged Osceola County, including Community Vision's 
office and her home, Donna oversaw an ``unmet needs committee'' which 
raised $750,000 to help residents restore their homes and lives. 
Community Vision utilizes a collective impact model in addressing 
issues. It functions as the umbrella organization bringing the public, 
private and independent sectors together to develop innovative 
solutions to complex, systemic problems confronting the Osceola 
community. Donna's impact can be felt throughout Osceola County. She 
secures financial resources and volunteer support to take on the 
impossible.
  Donna's touch is most felt when addressing those community issues 
that affect our must vulnerable and at-risk residents. She secured a 
$1.3 million federal grant to provide free primary healthcare to the 
un- and underinsured through the Mobile Medical Express initiative. 
Beginning with the Mobile Medical Express, the community developed a 
secondary care network which includes two free clinics.
  Most recently, Donna has focused her efforts on the plight of the 
homeless. Community Vision offers intensive, career-readiness 
initiatives to put folks back on payrolls and families on the road to 
self-sufficiency. Community Vision also has an employment coach for the 
long-term unemployed and a full time Impact Homelessness Director.
  It is her selfless spirit, love of community and ``can do'' attitude 
that drives Donna to address those tough challenges and makes her a 
valued community treasure.
  Donna touts her greatest accomplishment as raising and educating her 
son Derrick, who exemplifies success as a father, husband and bread 
winner. She is also blessed with beautiful and smart grandchildren, 
Connor and Kendall, who brighten her world with their love.
  I am happy to honor Donna Sines, during Women's History Month, for 
her many contributions to the Osceola County community.

                          ____________________