[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 200 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING MICHELE GARGIULO'S CONGRESSIONAL SERVICE

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 22, 2022

  Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of my key 
staff members, Michele Gargiulo. In 2011, I hired Michele to assist in 
opening my district office in Gulfport, Mississippi. As a military 
veteran, she performed constituent services specializing in military 
and veterans' issues. Because of her strong work ethic and dedication 
to serving the constituents of Mississippi's 4th Congressional 
District, she was entrusted with the role of Director of Constituent 
Services in 2012 and was promoted to District Director in 2017, serving 
as such for five years.
  Michele grew up in Huntington Beach, California, and graduated from 
San Diego State University, receiving her bachelor's degree in 
Political Science and a Commission as an Active-Duty U.S. Army 
Transportation Officer. While stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, she met 
her husband, Frederick Gargiulo. They married in 1988, and in 1992, 
Michele left the military as a Captain in the Louisiana National Guard. 
For the next 25 years, she focused on supporting military families and 
raising her three children--Danielle, Blaise, and Sydney. During this 
time, she ran a transition center for underserved teenagers in a local 
high school and oversaw family support groups for military families 
with service members that were forward deployed.
  Michele's accomplishments as a congressional staffer are both 
numerous and outstanding. Of note, she ensured several Vietnam War 
veterans received the Purple Heart medals they had earned in combat, 
she worked with key stakeholders throughout the district to ensure 
their concerns were heard and their needs were met, and she oversaw the 
successful resolution of over 60,000 constituent service requests. 
Beyond her work, Michele is a beloved mother, wife, sister, and 
grandmother--and in all of those roles, she truly excels. Additionally, 
she served as the President of the Board of Directors for CASA of 
Harrison County, was awarded the Yellow Rose of Texas by President 
George W. Bush and is an avid long-distance runner and tennis player.
  The signature block on Michele's email includes a phrase in Latin 
that means ``getting better, faster,'' and that epitomizes Michele's 
impact as a District Director. She led, mentored, and managed the 
district staff through multiple sessions of Congress, always intending 
to improve the team so that we could better serve the people of 
Mississippi's 4th Congressional District. She is relentless in her work 
ethic, dedicated to her cause, and positively impacts everyone she 
meets. For over a decade, Michele's organizational skills and tireless 
effort have enabled our staff to achieve real and lasting results for 
the people of Mississippi.
  I thank Michele.

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