[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 17, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THOMAS PETERS, PH.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 2022

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Thomas 
Peters, Ph.D. upon his retirement from Marin Community Foundation as 
its intrepid president and chief executive officer for nearly a quarter 
of a century and for a lifetime of extraordinary public service.
  Dr. Peters graduated from the University of Minnesota with a 
doctorate in medicine, psychology, and genetics. In 1974, he was hired 
by the San Francisco Public Health Department to manage a team of 
healthcare workers providing physical and mental care to both victims 
and perpetrators of crime. Within 7 years, he was promoted to Chief of 
Staff and tasked to navigate the unprecedented HIV/AIDS epidemic 
gripping San Francisco. In 1991, after a lengthy tenure as Chief of 
Staff for the San Francisco Public Health Department, Dr. Peters was 
selected to serve as the director of Marin County's Department of 
Health and Human Services before joining the Marin Community Foundation 
(MCF) in 1998.
  Throughout his time with MCF, Dr. Peters demonstrated impeccable 
leadership, establishing MCF as one of the largest community 
foundations in the country with an exceptional reputation for its 
mission-driven value alignment. Under his leadership, the foundation 
increased its assets from approximately $900 million to more than $3 
billion and distributed over $2 billion in grants to support early 
education through college, affordable housing, and environmental 
stewardship. Dr. Peters accomplished this by attracting an 
unprecedented number of new donors and starting a donor-advised funds 
program, while also reshaping the governance structure and refocusing 
the Foundation's priorities to address Marin County's profound income 
and educational inequities. While focusing on big issues, Dr. Peters 
also led in a manner that both promoted and supported local and 
innovative solutions from grassroots community groups and nonprofits. 
His unwavering commitment to social justice provided both voice and 
philanthropic giving to underserved and disenfranchised communities in 
Marin County, as well as models for philanthropic organizations to 
follow throughout the region, state, and Nation.
  Always one to respond to a crisis, Dr. Peters rounded out his legacy 
during the COVID-19 pandemic, directing the Foundation to provide 
critical relief for Marin in the form of millions in nonprofit grant 
funding, PPE for local healthcare facilities, and rental assistance in 
partnership with Marin County.
  Over the decades we developed a close bond, and my staff and I had 
the good fortune to experience Dr. Peters' maverick problem-solving 
talents firsthand, evoking the spirit of Congressman John Lewis to 
collaborate, or as we liked to say, get in ``good trouble'' to tackle 
issues like gun violence prevention and NIMBYism. Among many special 
memories is our work in 2012 to help save China Camp State Park from 
closure. With the support of the Foundation and my successful 
legislation to keep state parks open, the local nonprofit Friends of 
China Camp now operates China Camp State Park.
  Dr. Peters has delivered on the mission of Marin Community Foundation 
to improve the human condition, embrace diversity, promote a humane and 
democratic society, and enhance the community's quality of life, now 
and for future generations. He has been the moral compass for the 
Foundation and Marin County for decades and retires with a legacy that 
will serve us for many years to come. Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask 
that you join me in expressing immense gratitude to Dr. Peters for his 
extraordinary generosity of spirit, unwavering integrity, and 
innumerable contributions to improving the human condition, and 
extending to him congratulations on his retirement and best wishes on 
his next endeavors.

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