[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO YVETTE LEWIS

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Yvette Lewis 
for her excellent service as part of my team in support of the people 
of Maryland. Yvette has been our director of external relations and 
community outreach in my Senate office since I began my service in the 
Senate. In that capacity, she has organized forums throughout Maryland 
to provide support to our veterans, our senior citizens, and others. 
Her signature program was organizing consumer protection forums across 
our State so we could alert Marylanders to the wide array of schemes 
and scams designed to cheat consumers out of their hard-earned money. 
She has been deeply committed to the principle that the health of our 
entire State depends on the success of all our communities.
  I have had the pleasure of knowing Yvette for over a decade and am 
grateful for all her good works in our State and beyond. She is a 
longtime resident of Bowie, MD, and has worked for years in public 
service and civic engagement. She has previously worked as the 
president of the Voter Empowerment Action Project. Moreover, she has 
also served on the White House Commission for Presidential Scholars. 
Additionally, she has an accomplished background in music as an opera 
singer and music teacher in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and 
Montgomery county schools. Yvette is married to Ed Lewis, and they have 
two children, Shannon and Eric.
  Various events have led to a sudden vacancy in the position of the 
chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. Yvette was the consensus choice 
as the right person for the job at this moment. While we will miss her 
on Capitol Hill, I am glad that her enormous talents will also be put 
to good use in her new role.

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