[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATING ESTHER B. NEWMAN

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Esther B. 
Newman, the founder and chief executive officer of Leadership 
Montgomery, a not-for-profit community organization dedicated to public 
service and management training in Montgomery County, MD. Mrs. Newman's 
vision of compassionate outreach, effective and inspirational 
leadership, and community improvement have long nurtured the people of 
Montgomery County, effecting positive change for nearly 40 years.
  Ms. Newman was born and raised in Washington, DC. She began her 
secondary education while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood. 
She graduated from Montgomery College, one of Maryland's premier 
community colleges, with an associate's degree in mental health in 
1975. She later earned a B.A. in human service administration from 
Antioch University and an M.S. in applied behavioral science from Johns 
Hopkins University.
  The foundations of Ms. Newman's legacy of public service were 
established shortly after her graduation from Montgomery College when 
she established the Family Life Center of Montgomery County in 1976, 
where she served as director until 1979. She then transitioned into 
work at Olney, MD's Montgomery General Hospital as a public relations 
consultant, simultaneously contributing to the local Courier-Gazette 
newspapers as a community correspondent and serving as an officer on 
the Upper Montgomery Community Mental Health Center Citizens Advisory 
Committee.
  Throughout the 1980s, Ms. Newman continued to serve in an extensive 
capacity across Montgomery County, encompassing a diverse portfolio of 
health care focused outreach, volunteer service, and civic leadership 
positions. In 1981, Ms. Newman joined the Olney Chamber of Commerce and 
became a board member in 1984. By 1983, she had moved into a leadership 
role as the program director of the YWCA of Montgomery County and later 
joined the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, where she held the 
role of executive director from 1986 through 1988.
  As the decade drew to a close, Ms. Newman drew on her years of public 
service and leadership experience and formulated a curriculum of 
management training retreats, lectures, and educational guidelines. She 
worked with the late Larry Pignone of the United Way to establish 
Leadership Montgomery in 1989, where she has served as director ever 
since. The core program of Leadership Montgomery, which incorporates 
youth, business executive, senior, and emerging leader training 
modules, is aimed at inspiring the next generation of business and 
civic leaders in Montgomery County and beyond. Above all, Leadership 
Montgomery strives to establish a more inclusive management community, 
comprised of leaders of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
  In the 26 years since its founding, Leadership Montgomery has 
enriched and educated more than 2,000 graduates. The success of this 
mission is reflected in the program's accomplished alumni, with local 
Board of Education members, Circuit Court judges, members of both the 
Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, and Montgomery County 
Councilmembers among them.
  Throughout her career in public life, Esther Newman has also helped 
to raise more than $5 million in contributions for scholarships and 
programs, in addition to nearly $3 million of in-kind donations. For 
her unparalleled commitment to service, generosity, and tireless 
devotion to the betterment of Montgomery County, she has been 
recognized with numerous accolades, including Jewish Women 
International's Women to Watch Community Leadership Award in 2011, the 
Corporate Volunteer Council President's Award in 2009, the Victims' 
Rights Foundation's Game Changer Award in 2014, and an honorary degree 
in public service from her alma mater Montgomery College in 2002.
  Ms. Newman will be retiring from her position as director of 
Leadership Montgomery in September, after more than a quarter-century 
of education and guidance. Her compassionate spirit, inspirational 
leadership, and unwavering devotion to civic improvement have long 
inspired the greater Montgomery County community. Many of the people 
Ms. Newman have touched have taken the lessons that they have learned 
at Leadership Montgomery into business and government. Though she will 
soon step down as a director, I have no doubt that Ms. Newman will 
continue to be involved in the community and will continue to inspire 
others to enter leadership roles. I ask my colleagues to join me is 
wishing her all the best for a restful and fulfilling 
retirement.

                          ____________________