[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO RONNI K. COHEN

 Mr. COONS. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the service 
and dedication of a distinguished Delawarean with a track record of 
putting service before herself. She is a thoughtful friend, not just to 
me, but to hundreds of Delawareans up and down the State.
  Ronni K. Cohen of Claymont, DE, is a well-known educator and civic 
leader in Delaware and recently retired after 50 years of public 
service. She taught thousands of students--children and adults--
financial planning, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and so much 
more. A Delaware school official once described Ronni as ``one of the 
most dedicated teachers that I have ever met.''
  In total, Ronni spent 33 years in the classrooms of Delaware's 
Brandywine School District and in 2000 was recognized as Teacher of the 
Year by the Delaware Department of Education. She was an economics and 
entrepreneurship teacher at elementary schools like P.S. duPont, 
Marguerite H. Burnett, and Claymont. During her time with her third, 
fourth, and fifth graders, Ronni instilled in them an industrial spirit 
and deployed hands-on lessons about the crucial role that finances play 
in our everyday lives.
  Ronni earned many accolades during her career, including the Delaware 
Chamber of Commerce Superstars in Education Award, the Small Business 
Administration Women in Business Champion Award, the Consortium of 
Entrepreneurship Education Leadership and Advocacy Award, the Delaware 
Library Partnership Award, and a Freedoms Foundation Leavey Award for 
private enterprise education.
  In 1992, Ronni and her principal opened the first bank within a 
Delaware public school. This innovative program, in partnership with 
Wilmington Trust, expanded to 20 other schools across Delaware.
  In 2001, when the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute--DFLI--was 
born, Ronni was the obvious choice to lead it. This not-for-profit 
organization set out to promote financial education through its 
Delaware Money School and help individuals gain a better understanding 
of the consumer marketplace while providing them with the necessary 
instruments to improve their financial health.
  For the next 17 years, Ronni served as DFLI's executive director. She 
taught classes while recruiting a battalion of volunteer instructors to 
multiply the efforts of the Delaware Money School. Under her 
leadership, thousands of adult students completed DFLI coursework and 
gained the knowledge they needed to take control of their financial 
futures.
  Ronni also served on the Governor's Task Force for Financial 
Independence and the Delaware General Assembly's Joint Committee on 
Financial Literacy. In 2016, when the State was developing its 
financial literacy standards for K-12, she was hand-picked as 
cochairperson of that committee.
  From ``EconoM&Mics'' to ``Purses to Portfolios'' and ``Investing for 
Your Future,'' Ronni's unique classes have impacted many Delawareans 
over the years and made our state stronger and more prosperous.
  ``Ronni Cohen is a remarkably effective educator. She took her 
prodigious skills to a different platform by helping tens of thousands 
of Delawareans take control of their personal finances,'' said former 
Governor Jack Markell. ``Ronni is beloved in the Delaware Money School 
community--and for a good reason. She gave fully of herself to improve 
other peoples' lives. Ronni leaves a remarkable legacy of achievement 
and contribution. I love Ronni Cohen!''
  Mr. President, Ronni sees all Delawareans as lifelong students, and 
she always ensured that her students and mentees had the proper tools 
to build strong and stable financial futures. Her legacy is one of a 
teacher who consistently went to extraordinary lengths to make sure 
herlessons made ``cents.''
  Ronni Cohen, from all of your schoolchildren, your adult learners, 
your neighbors, and your state, please accept our sincere thanks and 
gratitude. Thank you for dedicating 50 years to public service--and on 
behalf of our entire state, I wish you a happy, fulfilling retirement. 
Thank you.

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