[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 162 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1458-E1459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INAUGURATION OF ReBECCA KOENIG ROLOFF AS THE 11TH PRESIDENT OF ST. 
                          CATHERINE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2016

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Ms. 
ReBecca Koenig Roloff, who was inaugurated as the 11th President of St. 
Catherine University in Saint Paul, Minnesota on October 11, 2016. 
Throughout her career, Ms. Roloff has earned the respect of her peers 
and colleagues by her extraordinary leadership abilities, quickly 
rising through the ranks of every organization she has been a part of, 
and leaving legacies of success along the way.
  The first time that ReBecca Roloff set foot on the campus of St. 
Catherine University, she was a teenage prospective student. Growing up 
in Dickinson, North Dakota, she had never met a female doctor, 
engineer, or lawyer. However, when she arrived at St. Kate's as it is 
known, she was astounded to see that the entire institution, from the 
administration to the professors, was led by highly educated 
professional women. The impact on Ms. Roloff was both immediate, and 
long lasting. She went on to graduate cum laude from St. Catherine 
University in 1976 and later earn a Master's of Business Administration 
with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1982.
  Beginning her career as a grain merchant for Cargill, Ms. Roloff 
moved up to senior management positions at Pillsbury and later became 
senior vice president of Global Financial Advice and Systems at 
American Express Financial Advisors in Minneapolis. In this role she 
oversaw the $90 million core business and transformed the sales systems 
used by over 10,000 advisors.
  Ms. Roloff's success in business was coupled with a growing desire to 
serve in a position with a broader mission to impact the community. She 
was named Chief Executive Officer of the Minneapolis YWCA, a role where 
she would directly work to empower women and girls and achieve success 
by breaking down barriers of class and race.
  Ms. Roloff's sharp business acumen, passion for social justice, and 
impressive credentials were qualities that put her at the top of a 
national search by the University of St. Catherine Board of Trustees 
when they were seeking the candidate to be named the 11th president. As 
an alumna of St. Kate's, Ms. Roloff deeply understands and embodies the 
institution's foundational principles of advancing women's education 
through the Catholic traditions of intellectual inquiry, social 
justice, and liberal arts. As a fellow alumna myself, I have no doubt 
that she will bring her deep passion, intelligence and leadership to 
this position. The faculty, staff, and especially students of St. 
Catherine University will benefit from her caring guidance and 
stewardship of the institution that thrust her on to the path that 
would eventually lead her back home.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Ms. ReBecca Koenig 
Roloff, the 11th President of St. Catherine University in Saint Paul, 
Minnesota.

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