[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN R. ALLEN

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Maryland 
resident John R. Allen as he retires from Federal service after 20 
years in the Marine Corps and 20 years at the Peace Corps.
  Mr. Allen served as the Chief of the Global Crime Response and 
Analysis Unit for the Peace Corps, a U.S. Government Agency that sends 
American Volunteers to serve alongside host communities in roughly 60 
countries around the world. John was a key adviser to multiple 
Directors of the Peace Corps on all areas of the Agency's global safety 
and security program. Throughout his 20 years with the Agency, he 
traveled extensively representing Peace Corps and directly supporting 
Volunteers in Africa and Latin America.
  Mr. Allen joined the Peace Corps after retiring from the Marine 
Corps, where he served honorably at home and abroad as a senior 
noncommissioned officer. He has remained active in the veterans 
community as the leadership liaison for the Peace Corps' Veterans 
Employee Resource Group. He was also an active member of the 
Interagency Veterans Advisory Council (IVAC), comprised of Active-Duty 
and veteran representatives of approximately 100 departments and 
Agencies, which proudly supports the recruitment, acclimation, 
retention, and promotion of veterans, Reservists, National Guard 
personnel, and military spouses in the Federal civilian workforce. 
Collectively, IVAC advocates for the interests of over 500,000 veteran 
civilian employees.
  Mr. Allen has a BA in psychology from the University of South 
Carolina and an MS in management from Troy University. He completed the 
Key Executive Leadership Program at American University and is 
currently working on his dissertation for the doctor in ministry degree 
at Denver Seminary. John resides in Urbana, MD, with his wife Susan. 
They are the proud parents to two adult sons, a daughter-in-law, and 
two rambunctious grandboys Miles John and Austin David.
  I am honored to represent such an exemplary civil servant and 
military veteran. Please join me in congratulating John R. Allen for 
his Federal service, his contributions to the Peace Corps and the 
Marine Corps, and the larger U.S. veteran and national service 
community and in wishing him well as he transitions into his new 
position at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

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