[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5440-S5441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DONNA KELLY-WILLIAMS

 Ms. WARREN. Madam President, I would like to offer my 
congratulations to Donna Kelly-Williams as she retires as president of 
the Massachusetts Nurses Association where she has represented our 
nurses and the patients they serve since 2009. Beginning her 
professional career in 1974, she aided nurses in the newborn nursery at 
the Cambridge Hospital, cementing her passion for the caregiving 
profession. Following nursing school, she served as a medical-surgical 
nurse and then as a pediatric nurse before eventually coming full 
circle and returning to the maternity unit. She has spent her entire 
nursing career serving her community at Cambridge Hospital in 
Cambridge, MA. Throughout her career, she has always been committed to 
creating environments where every nurse is respected and valued for 
their contributions. This commitment and passion for advocacy led her 
to become involved in the Massachusetts Nurses Association, first 
joining the bargaining unit at Cambridge Hospital and serving in this 
capacity for two decades.
  She then served as vice president of the Massachusetts Nurses 
Association and on the board of directors before she was elected 
president in 2009. As president, Donna led the union as they became a 
part of National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses 
in history. She understood this participation in a new national nurses' 
union enabled members to have an even greater impact on national pushes 
for legislation, including healthcare and

[[Page S5441]]

labor reforms, supporting nurses serving in all of America's hospitals. 
Donna worked tirelessly to advocate for nurses' workers rights during 
strikes; I remember trading calls and texts with Donna late into the 
night to settle contracts during the Tufts Medical Center strike.
  I am deeply grateful to Donna Kelly-Williams for her lifelong 
commitment to America's working families, for all she has done for 
nurses across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for her tireless 
fight to improve patient care. We have all benefited from Donna's 
passion, resilience, and empathy throughout her entire career and her 
lasting impact on our Massachusetts nurses will be felt for years to 
come. I once again congratulate her on her retirement and wish her the 
best of luck in the next chapter.

                          ____________________