[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 66 (Thursday, April 18, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E473-E474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING NELSON CARBONELL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Nelson Carbonell, 
who has dedicated many years to The George Washington University (GWU), 
especially as the Chair of its Board of Trustees for the past six 
years.
  Carbonell's service to GWU has been a labor of love. Carbonell first 
walked through the university's Professor's Gate as a teenager in the 
fall of 1981 during his freshman year as a scholarship student. He was 
eager to learn and fulfill his ambitions to become an engineer. From 
those first years as an undergraduate to his later years as a highly 
successful alumnus, Carbonell's devotion to GWU has only grown. There 
is no part of the university's academic, civic, athletic and cultural 
life that Carbonell has not touched in some way, shape or form.
  Among his many contributions to GWU, Carbonell and his wife, Michele, 
have established an academic center within the university's athletics 
department to provide educational support services to student athletes. 
Together, they established the Nelson and Michele Carbonell Engineering 
Scholarship and created an endowed professorship at GWU's new Autism 
and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Initiative. Over the years, Nelson 
Carbonell has been important to individual students and has made key 
contributions that help to ensure the university remains ever-committed 
to its missions of educating future citizen leaders and generating 
ideas that have a real-world impact.
  Carbonell was instrumental in helping GWU select its last two 
presidents, whose ideas and influence on a university's culture can be 
as enduring as any building. He was also crucial to the construction of 
the largest academic

[[Page E474]]

building dedicated to science and engineering in Washington, D.C., as 
well as of the new, state-of-the-art Milken School for Public Health. 
Carbonell spearheaded the largest philanthropic campaign in GWU's 
history, which will empower the university to produce consequential 
graduates and ideas for generations.
  Carbonell's pervasive positive influence on both GWU and the greater 
D.C. community stems not only from his abiding affection for the 
university, but also from his intellectual curiosity, generosity of 
spirit, entrepreneurial drive and his considerable leadership skills. 
As a leader, Carbonell demonstrated his keen ability to bring various 
members of the community together so each person's individual talents 
and role were utilized in service of the greater good.
  I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Nelson 
Carbonell for his leadership and selfless service during his time at 
The George Washington University.

                          ____________________