[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING EBON RICHARD ``RICK'' JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr, Speaker, I rise today to honor Ebon 
Richard ``Rick'' Jones as he is presented with the John Shafer 
Visionary Award, which recognizes his exemplary advocacy work in Napa 
Valley.
  Mr. Jones was born in Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree 
from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration 
degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. 
Jones is a treasured member of the Napa community as he advocates for 
matters of health and youth education.
  Mr. Jones has been active in the Napa community for decades. In 2013, 
he joined the operating board of OLE Health, a nonprofit health center 
serving vulnerable populations in and around Napa County. He then 
served as treasurer from 2014 to 2015 and board chair from 2017 to 
2018. Currently, Mr. Jones has been reappointed treasurer of the OLE 
Health foundation board and remains a trusted advisor for OLE Health 
leadership.
  Beyond his work at OLE Health, Mr. Jones sits on the boards of Napa 
Valley Education Foundation, St. Helena Hospital Foundation, the Napa 
Valley Community Foundation, the Napa Valley Vintners, and Napa Valley 
Firewise Foundation. He has previously served in leadership roles on 
the boards of the San Francisco Zoo, Silicon Valley Community 
Foundation, Napa Learns, and Raising a Reader.
  When he is not engaging in community organizations throughout Napa, 
Mr. Jones is a respected Napa Valley vintner. Having developed a 
passion for viticulture while living in France in the 1970s, he founded 
Jones Family Vineyards in 1996, which he now operates together with his 
two daughters Heather and Stephanie. Their family-run winery is 
certified by Napa Green, a certification program with an emphasis on 
climate action and regenerative farming.
  Mr. Speaker, the John Shafer Visionary Award exists to honor the 
legacy of vintner John Shafer, who was among Napa Valley's strongest 
community leaders. There is no doubt that Mr. Jones has been a 
dedicated advocate for the Napa Valley community.

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