[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF MR. GEOFF LAREDO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 23, 2018

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Mr. Geoff Laredo in recognition of his retirement after many years of 
dedication to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
   I have come to know and respect Mr. Laredo through our shared 
mission to combat the nation's opioid epidemic. Geoff is a true leader 
in the field and has been a trusted advisor to his boss and my dear 
friend, Dr. Nora Volkow, but also to me and my staff. He has a wealth 
of institutional knowledge and his departure will surely leave a void 
in the heralded halls of NIDA.
   Mr. Laredo graduated with a degree in Political Science and 
Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and received his master's 
degree in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public 
Affairs at the University of Texas. He then began a storied career of 
dedicated public service with stops at the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Justice, the 
U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services.
   During his time at NIDA, Geoff served as a liaison to state and 
local governments, ensuring NIDA research is used to inform local 
policies. Additionally, he served as the liaison to the Friends of NIDA 
organization, advocating for a level of resources for NIDA that 
reflects the tremendous personal, social and economic burden of drug 
abuse and addiction. Mr. Laredo has provided assistance to 
Congressional staff on legislative issues related to drug addiction 
prevention, treatment, and recovery research in response to the opioid 
crisis. He has also planned and coordinated hundreds of Hill briefings 
on a variety of topics, and is incredibly well known and well liked 
among members and staff alike. Geoff is one of the few who understood 
the urgency of the opioid epidemic early on and was a founding member 
of the planning committee for the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin 
Summit that was jointly established with Operation UNITE, an 
organization I founded to help combat the drug epidemic in rural 
southern and eastern Kentucky.
   I am tremendously grateful for Mr. Laredo's many years of service to 
our great nation, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors. I 
hope that he and his wife, Donna, enjoy their many years of retirement 
together. Congratulations.

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