[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 191 (Friday, November 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF JOHN BRANDON, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE 
           DIRECTOR OF THE MARION COUNTY COMMISSION ON YOUTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 17, 2023

  Mr. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of John Brandon, 
President and Executive Director of the Marion County Commission on 
Youth (MCCOY), who will enter his retirement at the end of this year.
  For 45 years, John has dedicated his life to youth development, 
leading positive changes in local programs and agencies and at larger 
city, state, and national systemic levels. As an adjunct professor at 
the undergraduate and graduate levels, an agency director focused on 
increased opportunities for young people, and a trainer and facilitator 
for youth workers' continued education John has nurtured Indianapolis' 
young people in countless ways.
  John's legacy is one of advocacy and empowerment. He has been 
instrumental in guiding projects and initiatives aimed at the 
development of our youth, including a city-wide youth employment 
effort, developing more support and services for unhoused youth, and 
reforming our child welfare system to be more family-focused. Under 
John's leadership, MCCOY has been an instrumental partner in my yearly 
Youth Opportunities Fair, which connects young people to employment, 
internships, and other programs during the summer months. His 
passionate belief that young people must be part of the systems that 
impact them is evidenced through youth participation on MCCOY's board 
and the agency's facilitation of the Mayor's Youth Council.
  Active in his community, John has served on numerous community-based 
nonprofit boards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Multiservice 
Center, the Indiana Afterschool Network, and the Hawthorn Community 
Center. At a national level, John dedicated a decade to the Partnership 
for America's Children's board of directors.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John Brandon as he 
enters this new chapter filled with cycling, reading, and family. We 
celebrate his legacy of outstanding accomplishments as we continue to 
ensure a brighter future for our nation's youth.

                          ____________________