[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E20]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING RUTHANN GEIB ON HER RETIREMENT FROM THE AMERICAN SUGARBEET 
                          GROWERS ASSOCIATION

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 8, 2019

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ruthann Geib, a 
great friend, who is retiring after 36 years of working with the 
American Sugarbeet Growers Association and the sugarbeet and sugar cane 
communities.
  Originally from Wooster, Ohio, her grandparents had a dairy and feed 
grains farm nearby where she learned about the care and feeding of 
animals and the joys of grain harvest.
  After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with Minors in 
Psychology and Political Science from Malone University, Ruthann was 
accepted into a three-month internship program in Washington, D.C. She 
worked at an international development organization and was later hired 
to be the diplomatic liaison with embassies for the more than 20 
countries where the organization had development and linguistic 
projects.
  Following her internship and after a brief stint at a law firm, she 
joined the American Sugarbeet Growers Association (ASGA) in 1982. 
Ruthann quickly moved through the ranks, becoming Vice President of the 
association a few years later. Her portfolio included federal 
legislation, regulatory and administrative issues, Board education and 
communications, and management of the annual grower fly-ins. Her years 
with ASGA covered 19 Congresses, seven farm bills, and multiple free-
trade agreements. In 2016, after over 30 years of service, the ASGA 
presented Ruthann with a Distinguished Service Award.
  Her most memorable experiences include visiting the farms and 
communities in sugarbeet and sugar cane areas, and visiting Cuba in 
1999 as a member of the U.S. sugar industry delegation to a United 
Nations sugar meeting.
  Ruthann and her husband, Paul, currently live in Alexandria, 
Virginia, but are looking forward to moving to the mountains of 
Tennessee in 2019. In her retirement, she plans to travel and volunteer 
with various projects in her new community.
  Madam Speaker, Ruthann's impact on the sugarbeet and sugar cane 
communities is a true testament to her longstanding commitment to the 
industry. I wish her well as she embarks on the next chapter of her 
life in the beautiful mountains of Tennessee.

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