[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 219 (Monday, December 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MARY JO PASEK FOR HER SERVICE TO BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE AND THE 
                         KERN COUNTY COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 20, 2021

  Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary Jo Pasek, a 
talented and service-oriented community leader who has dedicated 
herself to improving the work of countless students and the Kern County 
community throughout her career, on her retirement from Bakersfield 
College.
  Mary Jo arrived in Bakersfield, California by way of Minnesota--
following her graduation from the College of St. Scholastica--and 
worked in the booming Kern County oil and natural gas industry before 
joining Calcot Limited, a cotton grower and marketing cooperative, 
where she would work for over 25 years. In a testament to her 
leadership skills and drive, Mary Jo went on to become the Assistant 
Vice President of Human Resources at Calcot. While in this role, Mary 
Jo oversaw the employee benefits program, developed a computer literacy 
program for the Calcot workforce, and managed the Calcot-Seitz 
Foundation Scholarship Program, which awards annual scholarships to 
promising students pursuing careers in agriculture.
  Following her passion for helping students succeed, Mary Jo began a 
new chapter in her career in 2007 when she joined Bakersfield College--
part of the Kern Community College District (KCCD)--and its team of 
devoted educators, who have committed themselves to advancing the 
KCCD's mission of creating lifelong learners. In her role as the 
Community Relations, Scheduling, and Events Manager at Bakersfield 
College, Mary Jo oversaw a number of departments, including the Human 
Resources and Event Management divisions. She enhanced personnel 
training and professional development programs, developed relationships 
between the school and broader community, and raised needed funds for 
the Bakersfield College Foundation and Athletic Department--positioning 
Bakersfield College to continue to offer quality programming for 
students and faculty for years to come.
  Over the years, I have had the privilege of participating in many of 
the events that Mary Jo coordinated at Bakersfield College. From 
hosting my office and the Library of Congress on Bakersfield College's 
campus to conduct Veterans History Project interviews to playing an 
integral role in the highly successful 2014 Kern Agriculture Summit 
that I joined to discuss important issues facing Central Valley 
farmers, Mary Jo has always been uniquely capable of bringing together 
diverse stakeholders with the shared goal of bettering and giving back 
to the Kern County community.
  In addition to serving others through her work at Bakersfield 
College, Mary Jo has extensive volunteer experience, having worked on 
behalf of Kern County veterans and several community groups, including 
the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary, United Way of Kern County, and the 
American Cancer Society. She has received well-earned recognition for 
her accomplishments over the years, including the District Rotary 
Rotarian of the Year, Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Volunteer of the 
Year, and Bernice Harrel Chipman Bakersfield Woman of the Year awards 
for her tireless work.
  While Mary Jo will no longer be with Bakersfield College, I am 
confident she will continue to be a strong role model for others and an 
enthusiastic leader in the community. On behalf of the 23rd 
Congressional District of California, I wish Mary Jo and her husband, 
Tom, all the best as they enter this new chapter in their lives.

                          ____________________