[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 64 (Monday, April 15, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING MIKE DUNCAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 15, 2024

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of my trusted advisors and friends, Mike Duncan, who paved a path 
with business and political expertise from rural Martin County, 
Kentucky, all the way to the White House.
  Over the last five decades, Mike has served as a remarkable political 
strategist, dressed sharply in the armor of wisdom, confidence, and 
patriotism, commanding the respect of our peers at the highest ranks of 
the Republican Party. He has served on six Presidential campaigns, 
served as Chairman and General Counsel of the RNC, and was elected as a 
Kentucky delegate to eleven Republican National Conventions. There is 
no place for timidity or fear when preserving the foundation of our 
conservative values, and I applaud Mike's staunch advocacy of the GOP 
year after year.
  In fact, his stalwart leadership has been commissioned by a multitude 
of organizations and the Nation's foremost leaders, including President 
George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, and President Donald J. 
Trump. He served as Chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of 
Governors and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the 
Tennessee Valley Authority. There is no higher honor in the United 
States than serving our Commander-in-Chief, yet he also dedicated time 
to mentor rising leaders at Alice Lloyd College, and serve on the 
boards of nonprofit organizations, like the Christian Appalachian 
Project and The Center for Rural Development.
  When I embarked on a mission to establish The Center for Rural 
Development (The Center) for Southern and Eastern Kentucky in 1996, I 
invited Mike to serve on the Board of Directors, harnessing his 
financial expertise, his visionary mind, and his passion to raise up 
the next generation of leaders. He conceptualized the youth programs at 
The Center, including my namesake Rogers Scholars Program to provide 
opportunities for our rising students in the mountains to earn college 
scholarship awards, learn leadership skills, expand their horizons, and 
interact with local and regional business owners, leaders, and 
educators. Since inception, more than 1,300 students have graduated 
from the Rogers Scholars program, earning more than $11 million in 
scholarships from 19 participating colleges and universities.
  Mike's legacy is the epitome of what we need to replicate among our 
future generations: sons and daughters of Eastern Kentucky who choose 
to use their talents and energy to make our region, our state, and our 
great Nation a better place to live.

                          ____________________