[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1150-E1151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MICHELLE WAITE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON BACON

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2022

  Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Michelle Waite for 
her lifetime of dedication to the Great State of Nebraska, the 
University of Nebraska--Lincoln, and our military and veteran 
community. After twenty-four remarkable years, Michelle is retiring 
after a career of incredible service to our university and the citizens 
of our state.
  Michelle hails from Cody, a town in the beautiful Sand Hills of 
Nebraska and she completed her undergraduate education at Doane College 
in Crete. She also earned a Master of Legal Studies Degree from the 
University of Nebraska College of Law. In addition, Michelle is the 
proud mother of Cody and Logan, and we are grateful to Cody for his 
service in our Armed Forces.
  Since 1998, Michelle Waite has served in the office of the chancellor 
where she currently works as the Assistant to the Chancellor for 
Government and Military Relations. In that role, she serves as the 
principal advisor to UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green. In 1987, Michelle 
went to work for former Speaker of the Legislator, Ron Withem of 
Papillion, serving as his Legislative Assistant until his retirement in 
1997. Following Speaker Withem's retirement, Michelle went on to work 
for State Senator Ron Raikes until she was hired in

[[Page E1151]]

1998 as the Associate to UNL Chancellor James Moeser.
  Michelle Waite has been an impactful and transformative leader during 
her tenure for our university and her work has changed the lives of 
people all over our state. She has worked for three different 
chancellors as their principal advisor, helping guide the University in 
its relationships with many different external constituencies, 
including federal, state, and local agencies. In that capacity, she has 
been responsible for the strategic management of the University's 
legislative agenda, and she has worked as the primary representative 
tasked with interfacing with our unique single house legislature, 
affectionately known by many as the Unicameral. I am also appreciative 
of the advice she has provided my team in the years since I first took 
office.
  Considering that we just celebrated Veterans Day, I also want to 
highlight Michelle's outstanding contributions for our military and 
veteran community. As the school where General of the Armies John J. 
Pershing served as the Commandant of Cadets, the University of 
Nebraska--Lincoln has a proud and long military tradition that has 
produced countless men and women charged with leading our Armed Forces. 
During her tenure, Michelle Waite has been responsible for supervising 
the campus ROTC units and she has been liaison with all branches of the 
military, as well as with our veteran community. As a military parent, 
Michelle carries that unique perspective shared by countless military 
families and this has helped further inform her leadership over the 
course of many years.
  From her efforts towards the adoption of academic regalia denoting 
military service to helming the Veterans Tribute to memorialize our 
veterans in the heart of campus, Michelle's impact on the campus 
military community will be long enduring. Michelle played a critical 
role in helping the University adopt a resident tuition program for 
non-resident service members and she has been a leader in the effort to 
provide enhanced benefits for disabled service members and their 
families. Under her guidance, UNL established the Military and Veteran 
Success Center in 2015 which has become a valuable resource providing 
professional, educational, and personal services for our entire student 
veteran population.
  Nebraska's Memorial Stadium was built in honor of those Nebraskans 
who fought in the war to end all wars and originally the stadium 
displayed plaques recognizing those Nebraskans who paid the ultimate 
price. In order to ensure their memory never fades, Michelle led the 
effort to create replacements for the long-lost original plaques. Now, 
those new plaques honoring those Nebraskans who fought and died in 
World War I greet all visitors who enter this special monument for 
freedom. She also helped pave the way for veterans to be recognized 
during football games, with a video tribute for one veteran during the 
second quarter of every home game and she was the driving force behind 
the POW/MIA Chair now on display in Memorial Stadium. Finally, Michelle 
topped off her career by spearheading the multimillion-dollar Veterans 
Tribute monument dedicated on September 11th of this year in the heart 
of campus.
  Whether it is working with the military or serving as an advisor to 
collegiate organizations like UNL's Innocents Society, Michelle Waite 
has had a positive impact on students, faculty, and citizens from every 
corner of our state. I thank Michelle for her faithful service and 
leadership for all of Nebraska and I congratulate her and her family on 
a well-earned retirement.

                          ____________________