[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5073-S5074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO JO ANN EMERSON
Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Jo Ann
Emerson for her tireless dedication and service to both her State and
her country. I had the pleasure of serving with Jo Ann in the House of
Representatives. She has always been well-respected by her
constituents, her colleagues in Congress, and the many individuals and
families whose problems she dealt with as if they were her family. When
Congresswoman Emerson left the Congress, she became the CEO of the
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, NRECA. She worked hard
across the country for the kinds of communities and families she
understands so well in our State of Missouri.
It would be difficult for me to convey just how great an impact she
has always had on those she encountered better than the remarks made by
Jeffrey Connor, interim CEO, on June 13 at the NRECA summer board
meeting.
I ask unanimous consent to have his remarks printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Today marks the end of Jo Ann's tenure as CEO of NRECA, and
there is so much for which to thank her.
Jo Ann has not walked through the doors of this building
since July 29th of last year--46 weeks ago.
And I have said it many times since then: We miss our
leader, but we have not lacked for her leadership. Jo Ann's
influence on NRECA, our staff members, the work we do and the
privilege of serving our membership--those things remained at
the core of our mission--even in her physical absence.
Jo Ann and I would start each day with five minutes to
reflect on the events of the day before and to contemplate
the day ahead. And I still make time for that five minutes
every day, for her counsel and guidance, to let her remind me
what is truly important in our work.
NRECA has been through an incredible amount of change, with
Jo Ann leading the charge, joyfully.
Jo Ann has made a remarkable difference in the partnership
between NRECA and our members. She enhanced our reputation in
Washington DC. And she brought with her: openness to new
ideas, an appetite for innovation, transparency and a highly-
involved, very personal approach.
It's remarkable to me that this organization is so
different after just three years, and that Jo Ann
accomplished that internal change even as she spent so much
time out with our membership. She was everywhere at once.
And she worked constantly. She was available all the time,
accessible for any reason, to any individual on our team or
in our membership. She was ``Always On.''
I've been fortunate to see that selfless work ethic in
action from the time I joined Jo Ann's congressional staff in
2003.
She made decisions with the Three C's in mind and in order:
Her Conscience, Her Constituents, and Her Caucus.
She fought for every job in the district. She fought for
the cost of every prescription drug. She fought for every
inch of four-lane highway. She fought for every veteran who
needed to see a specialist, every expectant mother who needed
a home nursing visit for pre-natal care. She fought for every
flood and tornado victim. She fought for every man and woman
called to active duty in the armed services.
Her conscience demanded that she represent the members of
her community, regardless of how they voted or even if they
voted. She represented her whole constituency. No matter how
cantankerous. No matter how poor. No matter how rural.
It is safe to say, and I think you know this too, that Jo
Ann Emerson did not choose politics. Politics chose Jo Ann
Emerson.
Even her campaign slogan reflected her personal morality.
Election after election, it was, ``Putting People Before
Politics.'' And it made her a beloved leader as a member of
Congress.
``Work Days with Jo Ann'' in the district is one of the
best examples of how she would stand shoulder to shoulder
with her constituents. Of course, for Work Days, Jo Ann chose
to call the cattle auction at the sale barn, deliver UPS
packages, serve customers from the drive-through window at
McDonald's, and read the St. Louis Cardinals report on the
local sports radio station.
Perhaps there were four C's: Conscience, Constituents,
Caucus, and Cardinals.
Any way you describe her, the key to Jo Ann is her
perspective. When Jo Ann came to NRECA, she did so with a
great perspective on our membership. It was almost as though
she had gone from one congressional district in southern
Missouri to a bigger one--with 42 million people in it. She
knew exactly what to do, and she went right to work.
Within six months, she had been up in a bucket truck, shot
an advocacy advertisement for a national audience, opened up
Facebook and social media to the staff, started a strategic
planning process, coined the term Co-op Nation, and laid down
a challenge to submit 1 million comments to the Environmental
Protection Agency on the Clean Power Plan.
I bet I've heard Jo Ann say this a million times:
Perception is reality. It's usually my ``reality'' being
generally overruled by her perception of it.
Jo Ann uniquely understands the importance of NRECA to our
members, the reason we exist. She appreciates the essential
partnership between NRECA and the communities we serve.
If there is one way to summarize Jo Ann's contribution
here, it is to say that --at a critical moment in our
history--she changed NRECA's perception of the world and the
world's perception of NRECA, and therefore she changed our
reality.
And so she lifted the NRECA International Program into a
position of prominence with our members and in Washington.
She began to build the reputation of NRECA around it.
Jo Ann re-energized our communications channels and gave
our members a fresh voice in Washington. She tackled member
engagement from the ground up. She re-organized our approach
to the experience we offer to NRECA members.
She relished walking up to a member and asking--point
blank--what do you think we can do better at NRECA?
She understood that doing right is always more important
than being right. She challenged us to work collaboratively.
She made it possible for us to fail, and then showed us what
we could learn from failure. She opened the doors to the CEO
office, and she would sit and listen for a minute with anyone
who asked for her time. Anyone.
Even small changes in perception make a big difference,
though, like the annual picnic we will enjoy this evening
where the NRECA Board members and the Arlington staff,
interns and contractors will have a chance to share a meal
and fellowship.
Hers has been a short chapter in NRECA's long history, but
it is a most important one.
We can thank Jo Ann for helping us realize the exciting
possibilities for a united, well-informed, ambitious and
innovative membership. For peeling back the layers of NRECA
in order to show our members that we are an organization full
of leadership. For leading
[[Page S5074]]
us to a heartfelt mission of service. And for showing us how
to do our work energetically, humbly, and, as only she could,
joyfully.
This is a different organization thanks to Jo Ann Emerson.
It is stronger yet more flexible. It thinks and communicates
differently. It possesses a greater degree of self-awareness.
It remains a beacon to others.
That's her legacy: Jo Ann prepared us to expand the
relationship with our many partners-- relationships in which
we are the trusted resource, champion the cooperative cause
and inspire the future.
Today, her story joins those of the CEOs who made her
leadership of this organization possible. Jo Ann would not
have had this opportunity if not for the courage and vision
of Clyde Ellis, Robert Partridge, Bob Bergland, and Glenn
English. We all, Jo Ann included, look to a future full of
promise at NRECA.
And it is our greatest hope that Jo Ann will continue to
improve, and that she will have the opportunity to live a
life filled with the blessings of family and the chance to
reflect on her significant accomplishments and many wonderful
friendships built over a career well-spent in service to
others.
On her behalf, thank you for allowing Jo Ann the privilege
of leading NRECA. I know--and she agrees--that this has been
the highest honor of her distinguished career.
____________________