[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING SUSAN FINN BRITA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2014

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me 
in recognizing Susan Finn Brita for her more than 29 years of dedicated 
public service, in both the legislative and executive branches. Susan 
was my closest committee advisor when I came to the House in 1991 and 
remained invaluable counsel until she became General Services 
Administration (GSA) Deputy Administrator in 2010.
  Susan began her career in public service as Chief of Staff to then 
GSA Administrator Terence Golden in 1985, after earning her Master's 
degree in Public Administration from George Washington University. In 
1992, Susan was recruited to become Staff Director for the House 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Economic 
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, a position she 
held for 15 years. In 2010, Susan was recruited by the Obama 
administration to become GSA Deputy Administrator.
  During her 29 years of federal service, Ms. Brita has mastered all 
phases of federal property management, including asset acquisition 
through construction, leasing, purchase, and long-term financing, 
repair and alterations, and surplus property disposal. She also has 
played a key role in the implementation of federal energy policy in 
federal buildings, including courthouses, as well as in the 
implementation of policies directed at building sustainability. Ms. 
Brita was heavily involved in evaluating and making recommendations to 
improve GSA's nationwide leasing program, reforming the GSA Courthouse 
Construction Program, and giving GSA the authority to redevelop and 
sell underutilized federal property. In addition she played pivotal 
roles in many projects under the jurisdiction of GSA, including the 
redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building, the Ronald Reagan 
International Trade Center, the Hotel Monaco, the Southeast Federal 
Center, and the West Campus of St. Elizabeths.
  On March 31, 2014, Susan Brita retired from the GSA. Susan's advice 
and counsel have been indispensable to me, to the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee, and the Congress in helping to make GSA a 
true partner with the private sector to construct and redevelop 
property across the nation, while containing cost to federal taxpayers.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Susan Finn 
Brita for a life of committed service to the people of the United 
States and the federal government, and in congratulating her on her 
extraordinary achievements as she retires from the administration and 
federal service.

                          ____________________