[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1587-S1588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JUDGE ELLEN M. HELLER

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to honor the career of Judge 
Ellen M. Heller. Judge Heller has served the people of Baltimore and 
Maryland in several capacities for many decades. She is well known and 
well respected in the legal and nonprofit and communities across our 
State. In 2010, Judge Heller brought her considerable talents to the 
Weinberg Foundation, one of Baltimore's most effective nonprofit 
organizations. After 6 years, Judge Heller will be concluding her role 
as chair of the board on March 1, 2016, and she will come to the end of 
her current term as a trustee of the Weinberg Foundation on May 16, 
2016.
  Judge Heller has helped change lives while she has served at the 
Weinberg Foundation. Her commitment to service and her steadfastness 
have made her an incredibly effective chairwoman. For my colleagues who 
may be unfamiliar with the Weinberg Foundation, the organization does 
incredible work on behalf of low-income and vulnerable people from 
Maryland to Hawaii and from the former Soviet Union to Israel and 
beyond. The responsibility of chairing the board at the Weinberg 
Foundation is significant; we are fortunate Judge Heller's personal and 
professional experiences helped make her uniquely suited for the job.
  Judge Heller is no stranger to hard work. She graduated from the 
Johns Hopkins University, cum laude. She also graduated from my alma 
mater, the University of Maryland School of Law, cum laude. She earned 
both degrees while raising two sons. Judge Heller's accomplished legal 
career began as an assistant attorney general. She soon became an 
associate judge in the Baltimore City Circuit Court, the eighth 
judicial circuit, and would spend 6 years as the judge in charge of the 
civil docket.
  In 1999, Judge Heller became the first woman to serve as a circuit 
administrative judge on the eighth circuit. She championed numerous 
reforms, including the practice of alternative dispute resolution, ADR, 
in circuit court cases and the introduction of court-ordered mediation 
in certain civil cases. She also directed the establishment of a new 
pretrial discovery process, including the appointment of two felony 
discovery judges. Her dedication not only

[[Page S1588]]

to justice as a concept, but to improving the process by which justice 
is administered, would serve her well at the Weinberg Foundation.
  Judges are the public face of the rule of law. I am thankful that so 
many people will associate justice with such a capable and revered 
judge. In 2003, Judge Heller retired from the bench and began to lend 
more of her time and talent to various worthy causes around Maryland 
and around the world. For instance, Judge Heller served as president of 
the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, gaining experience in 
international aid missions. In her long and illustrious career, Judge 
Heller has worked with many other distinguished groups: the Maryland 
School for the Blind, the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & 
Public Health, the Task Force on Women in Prison, Girl Scouts of 
Central Maryland, the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the Public 
Trust and Confidence Implementation Committee, the Taub Center for 
Social Policy Studies in Israel, and the World Jewish Restitution 
Organization. I have omitted many more organizations, but the 
underlying point here is that Judge Heller brought a wealth of 
experience and talent to the Weinberg Foundation.
  The Weinberg Foundation has a long track record of tackling issues 
head on. The foundation has been a national leader on addressing the 
basic human needs of healthcare, housing, economic stability, and food 
security. The Weinberg Foundation has also established itself as an 
effective advocate for people living with disabilities, the elderly, 
and our veterans.
  Judge Heller has helped the Weinberg Foundation accomplish 
extraordinary feats during her time on the board. She oversaw the 
Baltimore Library Project which to seeks to design, build, equip, and 
staff new or renovated libraries in selected schools where existing 
public funds can be leveraged. The Weinberg Foundation, with the help 
of 40 partners, will create as many as 24 of these inspirational 
spaces. The Weinberg Foundation has committed a total of $10 million 
for what is expected to be a legacy project.
  Judge Heller doubled the amount of funding provided under the 
employee giving program. The Weinberg Foundation's employee giving 
program awards grants to their deeply committed staff to fund direct 
outreach programs.
  Judge Heller and the Weinberg Foundation have done immeasurable good 
for people across the State of Maryland and around the world. As Judge 
Heller prepares to step down from the foundation, I would like to thank 
her for her dedication to lifting up all people. I would also like to 
thank her husband, Shale D. Stiller, and the rest of her loving family 
for sharing such an incredible woman with humanity. Judge Heller has 
placed the Weinberg Foundation on solid footing to continue to carry 
out its important missions. I know I join my colleagues in 
congratulating Judge Heller on everything she has accomplished and 
wishing her all the best in her future endeavors.

                          ____________________