[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING KAREN LOVE

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Karen A. Love upon 
her retirement from the Department of Defense, DOD, after over 36 years 
in civil service.
  Karen was born in Greenville, OH and later moved to Ansonia, OH. She 
spent most of her formative years in Celina, where she attended the 
Immaculate Conception School, Celina Junior High School and Celina High 
School.
  After graduating magna cum laude from college, Karen moved to 
Washington, DC to begin her career. She first worked for the Senate 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and then moved to the 
Senate Armed Services Committee. While working for the Armed Services 
Committee, Karen had the privilege to work for chairmen on both sides 
of the aisle including John Stennis, John Tower, Barry Goldwater, and 
Sam Nunn.
  After 8 years as a staffer on Capitol Hill, Karen joined the Office 
of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, OASD LA. 
She subsequently served as the personal and confidential assistant to 
six successive OASD LAs. As a result of her tenure in OASD LA, Karen 
was one of few DOD employees with significant institutional knowledge 
of both DOD and Congress.
  Because of her unique expertise, Karen was promoted to the position 
of Deputy for Legislative Operations in OASD LA, managing congressional 
committees' questions and inserts for the Record, the congressional 
reporting requirements, and the legislative appeals process for DOD. 
Karen's last position with DOD was as the Deputy Director for 
Operations for the OASD LA, where she was instrumental in the oversight 
of the office's operations in support of the DOD's legislative mission 
and was a critical participant in the legislative affairs consolidation 
effort directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
  During Karen's distinguished career of over 28 years with DOD, she 
supported eight Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Legislative 
Affairs and served under eleven Secretaries of Defense.
  I am honored to recognize and thank Karen for her dedicated Federal 
service to the country and wish her the best as she begins the next 
chapter of her life.

                          ____________________