[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 121 (Thursday, July 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF KAREN KELLY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 2022

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Karen Kelly, one of the most dynamic female leaders in Kentucky 
politics, who has worked with me through various roles in southern and 
eastern Kentucky over the last 28 years. She has served as my District 
Director for Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District since 2013, and as 
she moves on to the private sector, I want to honor her today before my 
House colleagues who understand the immense value of having a fierce 
and loyal leader on the frontlines in the district while we are working 
diligently on Capitol Hill for our people at home.
  Karen is the most recent of many incredible female leaders that I 
have been blessed to have on staff, starting with my very first Chief 
of Staff in Washington, Marty Driesler. Marty was a force of nature and 
was instrumental in many of my early successes in Congress--just as 
Karen Kelly has been in Kentucky for nearly three quarters of my tenure 
in Congress. Much of my staff in Washington and in Kentucky have become 
long-tenured experts in their respective fields, providing excellent 
aid to folks across Kentucky's Appalachian region, and trusted advisors 
during my public service in the U.S. House of Representatives--and 
chief among them being Karen Kelly.
  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said, ``If you set out 
to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any 
time, and you would achieve nothing.'' As we know well in Congress, the 
world of politics isn't for weak-minded, spineless individuals. To be 
effective, you must stand firm on the values you hold dear, even at the 
risk of losing popularity; however, Karen has managed to maintain both. 
In fact, she has become one of the most highly respected leaders in 
Kentucky because of her relentless commitment to her conservative 
values and her courage of conviction to do what's best for the people 
of our region, even when the going gets tough.
  In 1994, Karen started out answering the phones and doing casework in 
my Pikeville office, quickly working her way up to become a Field 
Representative in my Hazard office. From day one she proved to be a 
highly motivated and promising visionary with an intense work ethic to 
accomplish any task that I set in her path. Soon after, I asked her to 
lead the Eastern Kentucky PRIDE organization, a non-profit 
environmental education and improvement task force to help clean up our 
hillsides, lakes, and streams across Kentucky's Fifth District. She 
quickly learned the complex ropes of grant funding and grew PRIDE's 
outreach operations in the schools. She also led the charge for more 
water and sewer project opportunities with the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers and exponentially grew volunteer cleanup participation.
  In the early 2000s, I quickly realized that we had another crisis to 
clean up in Eastern Kentucky when a deadly scourge of prescription 
overdose deaths was ignited by a flood of overprescribed powerful 
painkillers in our rural region. When I considered the best person to 
give life to this multifaceted response, I tapped Karen to take on an 
unprecedented role and lead the nation's first rural holistic 
organization to combat the growing drug epidemic. Together, we named it 
Operation UNITE--Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and 
Education. She formulated my vision into a comprehensive task force 
that become a model for the rest of the country--and she didn't stop in 
Eastern Kentucky. Karen helped me coordinate with like-minded leaders 
in Washington on the issue to launch the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, 
putting Operation UNITE's efforts on the national stage. We welcomed 
approximately 750 attendees to the first Rx Summit in 2012 in Orlando, 
Florida, and today, it is the largest comprehensive convention of its 
kind, with four U.S. Presidents serving as keynote speakers, along with 
leaders from each ofNation's top agencies on illicit drug-related 
policies.
  Nine years ago, I asked her to return to my Congressional office to 
help me reinvigorate and revitalize southern and eastern Kentucky just 
as the coal industry was targeted by a relentless regulatory war that 
led to the loss of more than 12,000 coal mining jobs. During that time, 
she helped me established the bipartisan SOAR initiative--Shaping Our 
Appalachian Region, with former Governor Steve Beshear. Her diligent 
work and coordination were invaluable to our early comprehensive 
efforts to formulate and lead the SOAR organization and gain the trust 
of our constituents as we worked hard to bring jobs and new industry 
opportunities to the region, including the state's largest rural 
broadband expansion project and much more.
  I often remind folks that our best resource in Eastern Kentucky isn't 
coal, tobacco, or timber--it's our people--and Karen exemplifies that. 
Her sheer determination to improve our region through compassionate 
advocacy and excellence in project execution has made a resounding 
impact across our region. While she has rightfully earned recognition 
and many accolades for her public service, her quiet generosity behind 
the scenes is a testament to her heart for God. Over the years, she has 
personally taken some of our less fortunate youth under her wing, 
providing support and encouragement to help them take hold of their own 
destiny. Today, many of them are now following in her footsteps to 
become the next generation of bright young rising leaders.
  I am personally grateful to have had such a wonderful leading lady by 
my side over the last 28 years and I wish Karen and her family the very 
best in years to come.

                          ____________________