[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 83 (Wednesday, May 25, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E786-E787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF HELENE M. WHITAKER FOR THIRTY-ONE YEARS OF SERVICE TO 
                     NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2016

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Helene M. 
Whitaker, vice president for administrative affairs at Northampton 
Community College, where she is responsible for government relations, 
planning, institutional research, human resources, and labor relations.

[[Page E787]]

  Few people have had as significant an impact on Northampton's 
outreach to students and the community as Helene. She has worked with 
state legislators from the Lehigh Valley to support the conversion of 
the former Bethlehem Steel plant offices into the Fowler Family 
Southside Center--a hub of education and workforce development to which 
tens of thousands of people flock each year. She also was instrumental 
in garnering public funding critical to the construction of a new 
campus to serve citizens of Monroe County.
  Highly respected both on campus and off, she is the recipient of 
numerous awards, including the Athena Award presented by the Bethlehem 
Chamber of Commerce, the Outstanding Woman of the Year Award presented 
by the Bethlehem YWCA, the Women's Leadership Award presented by the 
Allentown YWCA, the Woman of Distinction Award presented by the Great 
Valley Girl Scouts, the Courageous Woman of the Year Award presented by 
Lehigh Valley Hospital, the Alumnae Award and Associates Award from 
Cedar Crest College, and the Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Award. 
She was named a ``Mover and Shaper'' by Lehigh Valley Magazine and an 
honorary alumna by the NCC Alumni Association. Last, but certainly not 
least, she was a national finalist in the White House Fellows Program.
  Her commitment to improving the quality of life in the community is 
reflected in her current or past service on the Lehigh Valley Planning 
Commission, the City of Bethlehem Zoning Board, and the boards of 
ArtsQuest, Musikfest, the Banana Factory, the Fine Arts Commission, the 
Northampton County Development Corporation, the Northampton County Open 
Space Advisory Board, Cedar Crest College, Northampton County United 
Way, Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, and the former Allentown State 
Hospital.
  Helene earned a master's in public administration at Lehigh 
University, a master of arts in government at Villanova University, and 
a bachelor of arts at Cedar Crest College. Prior to joining the staff 
at Northampton Community College in 1985, she was a community and 
government affairs representative in the public affairs department at 
Bethlehem Steel Corporation. I wish her well in her retirement--it is 
certainly well-earned.

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