[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 215 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MIKE ANDERSON

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President. I would like recognize a critical member 
of my staff, Mike Anderson, who left my office in August to pursue a 
legal career his hometown of Anchorage, AK, something he has aspired to 
do since a young age.
  Communications director was a more than appropriate title for Mike. 
He directed so much of our communication, both internally and 
externally. You would often find Mike going from staff member to staff 
member, asking them questions, relaying information from one team to 
the next. In our office, if you had a question about what anybody was 
up to, you would ask Mike. That is a special quality. We miss it very 
much.
  Mike is no stranger to Alaska political offices. Fresh out of college 
at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he took a job with Congressman   
Don Young, and then worked for Senator Lisa Murkowski. In 2014, I was 
looking for someone to help with communications on my campaign. It was 
the first time I had run for office, and I was running against an 
incumbent with big name recognition. Mike came on board. He took a 
chance on me--it is something I will never forget.
  He had been taking law classes at night at the Catholic University of 
America for the past few years working in my office. He balanced it 
all, was on the clock around the clock, and did it with grace and 
humor. He was our office communicator, but he was also the office 
friend--the person you would go to for advice on things big and small, 
the person you would call on for an assist if you needed to move. It 
helped that he is a short 6'8". Mike always showed up. Working 
together--as one team, one fight--we got big things done for our State.
  Mike is going to make a great lawyer in Alaska. As a State, we have 
so much potential: the biggest fisheries in the country, the largest 
energy fields, an array of military complexes, and fascinating Alaska 
Native legal issues. More than anything, Alaska needs good leaders with 
integrity--hard-working people like Mike, who love their State and give 
it their all. We haven't seen the last of Mike. He will always be a 
part of our team. And I am sure that we will always work together to 
make sure Alaska thrives.
  So good luck to you, Mike. You left a mark and a hole. Best wishes on 
a bright future ahead.

                          ____________________