[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E129-E130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. DAVID E. RIVERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 8, 2022

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who 
was a committed educator and public servant, who lived by the Biblical 
teaching to ``act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.'' He also 
happened to be a very dear friend for more than 40 years, Dr. David E. 
Rivers transitioned from this life on February 4, 2022, and he will be 
sorely missed by all who had the honor of knowing him.
  Dr. Rivers was born on June 7, 1943, in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was 
the second of five children born to Joseph and Lorine Rivers. He earned 
undergraduate and graduate degrees in urban affairs, political science 
and public administration at Georgia State University. He went on to 
graduate from the National Urban Fellows Program in Public 
Administration at Yale University and the Riley Institute Diversity 
Leadership Program at Furman University. He was also a charter member 
of Georgia State University's first Black Greek organization, Alpha Phi 
Alpha, Fraternity, Incorporated, which was chartered in 1968.
  Before beginning his professional career, Dr. Rivers, served three 
years in the U.S. Army. He became Atlanta's first African American 
Commissioner of Budget and Planning under Mayor Maynard Jackson. He 
held leadership positions on the Atlanta Regional Commission, at 
Georgia State University, the U.S. Department off Health and Human 
Services, the U.S. Department of Energy and headed the Public Health 
Department in the District of Columbia Government under Mayor Marion 
Barry.
  All of these experiences were a precursor to his extraordinary career 
at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He joined MUSC's 
faculty in 1995, and served in many distinguished capacities, promoting 
partnerships between academic institutions, government agencies, 
elected officials, business industry, faith-based groups, and community 
activists to build healthier communities. At the time of his death, Dr. 
Rivers was the Director of the Public Information and Community 
Outreach Initiative (PICO) at MUSC, a program he founded.
  Dr. Rivers served as Principal Investigator, administering over $20 
million in sponsored funding during his career, and was a collaborator 
in securing funding for over $100 million in national, state, and local 
programs during his career. Under his leadership, the PICO Initiative 
conducted nationwide Community Leaders Institutes to address the impact 
of health disparities and environmental justice issues in low-income, 
ethnic minority communities and other underserved populations.
  South Carolina Educational Television produced his award-winning 
Community Leaders Institute programs, which were televised to national 
audiences. In recognition of his work on climate change and its impact 
across the United States, Dr. Rivers received multiple

[[Page E130]]

nominations and won a Bronze Telly Award and the highest viewership of 
a televised program produced by Educational Television.
  Dr. Rivers led the planning and execution of the National Conference 
on Health Disparities for nearly two decades, which provided a national 
dialogue to share progress in building healthy communities from 2007 
through 2021. He also organized and led the Environmental Justice 
Braintrust at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.'s Annual 
Legislative Conference. The Braintrust recommended strategies to help 
policy makers address environmental issues by fostering a relationship 
between environmental protection, human health, environmental justice, 
and economic development.
  In 2009, Dr. Rivers became the first African American to hold a 
citywide elected office in Charleston, SC. He served as a Commissioner 
of Public Works for the City of Charleston since 2009, where he also 
served as Vice Chairman and Chairman, He was re-elected unopposed in 
2015 and 2021.
  Dr. Rivers served as Chairman of the National Urban Fellows and the 
James E. Clyburn Research and Scholarship Foundation boards. He was 
President of the Jonathan Green Foundation, and he was Vice Chairman of 
the Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Corporation. He was a member 
of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, American Water 
Works Association, and Water Environment Federation.
  He also served on the Boards of the South Carolina Aquarium, My 
Brother's Keeper, and the 100 Black Men of Charleston, SC. He was also 
a member of the National Council of La Raza, California State 
University Center for Latino Community Health in Monterey Bay, 
California; Allen University Board of Trustees; the Congressional Black 
Caucus Institute's 21st Century Council, Executive Committee; the 
Advisory Board of Charleston's First Reliance Bank, and the Trident 
Urban League. He also served as a Board Member of Trident Unban League, 
the Community Foundation, and the Charleston Regional Development 
Alliance.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the life and legacy of Dr. David Rivers. His impact can be felt across 
this country in so many communities that are addressing environmental 
justice and health disparities, and his work will continue through the 
initiatives he developed and nurtured throughout his career. Dr. Rivers 
led a life of purpose driven by passion. May he rest in power.

                          ____________________