[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ELIZABETH (SISSY) CROWTHER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 26, 2019

  Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement 
of Dr. Elizabeth (Sissy) Crowther as President of the Rappahannock 
Community College. After 15 years as President, Elizabeth will be 
leaving the College a better, stronger institution of higher education 
and learning.
  A Northern Neck native, Sissy grew up on Bruington Farm in 
Northumberland County. Her late father, Rudolph Prosser Crowther, Sr., 
was president and then chairman of Lillian Lumber Company in 
Northumberland County, and served on the Rappahannock Community College 
local board in the 1980s. After graduating from St. Margaret's School 
in Tappahannock, Crowther attended Virginia Tech where she received 
both a bachelor's and master's in English. After college, she moved to 
Richmond, where she began a career in financial services. She aided J. 
Sargeant Reynolds and John Tyler community colleges with providing 
educational programs for their employees. Crowther was inspired by the 
change and inspiration she saw, shifting her career from banking to 
working in the community college system.
  She was accepted into a doctoral program at the College of William & 
Mary, becoming friends with a colleague who encouraged Crowther to 
apply to her first job at Rappahannock Community College. She then 
advanced to positions at Lord Fairfax Community College and Blue Ridge 
Community College, ultimately returning to Rappahannock as President. 
Since 2004, Crowther has provided leadership and oversight for College 
and community initiatives. They include growing the Educational 
Foundation's assets from $1 million to $11 million; completing facility 
renovations at both the Glenns and Warsaw campuses; adding satellite 
sites in Kilmarnock and New Kent; expanding partnerships with community 
organizations, agencies, and businesses including the establishment of 
LEAD Northern Neck; and providing focused resources on relevant 
programs.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing Dr. Elizabeth 
Crowther's accomplishments as she ends her tenure as president of 
Rappahannock Community College. We hope she enjoys her new life back on 
the family farm near Reedville, pursuing personal interests and 
traveling with her family.

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