[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 179 (Wednesday, December 4, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6809-S6810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Tribute to Teresa Plachetka

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, there is one more thing that I would 
like to do. And I want to thank so many people for their kind words--so 
many ``kinds'' today. I am so grateful for that. But I have one more 
really important thing that I want to do before I relinquish the 
microphone this afternoon, and that is to honor a true public servant, 
my longtime State director and dearest friend, Teresa Plachetka.
  I am going to start with a bold statement. And, by the way, Teresa 
has been with me for 42 years--42, not 24--42 years. And I want to 
start by making a bold statement: There is no one who has done more for 
the people of the State of Michigan and for Team Stabenow than Teresa 
Plachetka.
  The first time I met Teresa, I was in my first term in the Michigan 
State House. She was my first graduate student intern. She graduated, 
and I hired her as my first policy staffer in 1982 for the State house 
mental health committee. She has been at my side ever since for every 
decision, big and small, for 42 years.
  I just gave my farewell speech on the floor, and it is so fitting 
that Teresa is here because what a journey this has been. We all have 
policy experts and communications experts and experts to run our 
campaigns and experts in technology, but I am not sure anyone else has 
all of those skills in one person. I got her. She is truly one of a 
kind.
  I have been trying to think of the right words or the right stories 
to sum up our time together but realized: How can you possibly 
summarize almost 42 years of history and friendship? Maybe we can start 
with a variation on a very simple phrase: Did you talk to Teresa? Go 
talk to Teresa. Or what does Teresa think? Or have we asked Teresa?
  These are familiar phrases in my office and have been for decades, 
not just from the team but from me. Whether it is taking the 
temperature on an issue in Michigan, getting the history of what we 
have done in the past, or just checking in, the team and I have always 
known we needed to get her gut check on everything we did. That is how 
vital she is and has been for us. I can't think of any issue during our 
time together where she didn't have critical input.
  Because of that, the Stabenow team, me, and the State of Michigan 
have been the beneficiaries of her knowledge, her creativity, and her 
gut instincts for decades--solving problems, making people's lives 
better every day.
  Since these jobs are often so intense and incredibly stressful and 
time consuming, as we know, you might be asking yourself: How on Earth 
has Teresa been so successful for all this time?
  Where do I begin?
  Well, first, she is a brilliant political strategist who stays calm 
under pressure. During my first Senate campaign, almost no one believed 
we could win. In fact, pretty much everyone thought I should have 
stayed in the House and waited my turn, but not Teresa. We were down 9 
points heading into Labor Day, but we had a strategy, and Teresa never 
wavered in her belief that we could win. And we stuck to it, and we 
knew it was a winning strategy, and we won.
  In every tough situation--the auto rescue, the Flint water crisis, 
September 11, COVID, multiple elections--Teresa kept calm under 
pressure and helped us pick the right strategy to be effective and get 
things done.
  Multiple staffers over the years have said she has taught them how to 
approach a tough situation. Like I said before, during all of these 
moments, the most asked question was always: What does Teresa think? 
And how would Teresa handle this?
  That is how she has kept us all focused on the task at hand.
  That extended no further than the communications coming out of our 
office each and every day. I know that there are a few staff--the press 
staffers right now--that are here or watching from home that remember 
and may be twitching at the thought of Teresa's red edits on their 
draft releases.
  But Teresa had a phrase which went, ``People assume your only 
priorities are the ones you are currently talking about.'' That phrase 
has been burned into the memory of just about every team member we have 
had over the years. It sounds simple, but sticking to it is so very 
hard at a time when so much is happening in our State and our country. 
It is also what has kept us all focused on message. And, most 
importantly, it has reminded us that in the end, for us, it is all 
about Michigan.
  Teresa made certain that Michigan was at the heart of everything we 
did, and that started with our State team--from scheduling multiday 
tours across the State to ensuring every constituent case, piece of 
mail, or phone call was responded to with respect. Teresa ran the State 
operation like a Swiss--or we would say Shinola--watch.
  Our regional managers were literally everywhere. In fact, there 
wasn't a time when I would walk through an airport where someone 
wouldn't come up to me and thank our team for attending an event, 
answering their email, or helping them get something

[[Page S6810]]

done. I wish Teresa could have been there for all of those thank-yous 
because she was the one that made it all work.
  So what is her secret sauce? Well, as we know, it is all about 
systems. Teresa is known for being incredibly organized and developing 
the systems that have made the office run. If she sees a problem or 
something that can be done better, she works with the team to find a 
better way to accomplish the goal. It could be something small, such as 
changing the days of staff calls so the week and information flow work 
better, to organizing huge, effective appropriations processes every 
single year.
  If there is a system in our office that works well, it was Teresa 
that created it and made it work. If it didn't work well, then that 
staffer probably didn't check with Teresa.
  During the pandemic, she regularly solicited feedback on what was 
working and what was not. She also took time to stop and ask important 
questions like: What did we learn from how we worked during the 
pandemic, and how should the office adapt going forward? Instead of 
just working in the same way we had before the pandemic, Teresa made 
sure our office adapted.
  Some of these systems are so infamous that when staff have 
transitioned to new jobs, the No. 1 thing we hear is that these places 
don't have nearly the level of efficient organizing and that Teresa 
would be mortified by the lack of systems.
  Teresa also knew then in order for all of this to work, we had to be 
a team. Teresa genuinely cares about the people she works with. Over 
the last few weeks, as I have been thinking about this speech, our team 
couldn't say enough about how Teresa supports them both professionally 
and personally. The best part of it all, despite all she has 
accomplished, Teresa doesn't take herself too seriously. Her sense of 
humor and levity helps keep things going.
  She always made it a priority that the DC and State staff were 
connected as one team, making sure DC staff came to Michigan often and 
got to know their counterparts and were not afraid to pick up the 
phone, talk through an issue, and work together.
  One of her tools for keeping us all together was our infamous staff 
retreats in Michigan. Teresa spent hours making sure every detail was 
just right; that we had a goal and a purpose for getting together, as 
well as having some fun.
  Whether it was one of our staple boat cruises to ensure we 
experienced our Great Lakes to a few acting sessions where the very 
best Debbie Stabenow impression was made--while I was gone, by the 
way--Teresa organized all of it.
  A common discussion in our office is what everyone's favorite staff 
retreat was over the years and swapping stories from gatherings. While 
they are difficult and a pain to organize, especially as the team got 
larger and larger, I know she loved showing everyone what ``Pure 
Michigan'' really means. Whether it is our food, our water, our wine, 
our beer, or a freezing cold boat cruise, Teresa always lit up when the 
team was back in Michigan.
  So let me just say--as you can see, I could go on and on about 
Teresa, but I want to end by saying the biggest thank you possible. I 
know her wonderful husband Geoff, her kids, Zach and Rachel, and 
grandkids, Oliver, Ellie, and Valerie, are watching from Michigan and 
are incredibly proud of her. I know our team is here, too, watching 
from the Gallery and watching from home and they, too, are so 
incredibly proud to have served with Teresa.
  Maybe the word I am thinking of right now that sums it up is 
``legacy.'' Teresa's legacy for our staff and for the State of Michigan 
will be felt for many, many years to come. Together, we experienced 
more than either of us probably thought was ever possible, forgotten 
more amazing stories than we would like to admit--and we will keep some 
of the stories between just us. It has truly been a lifetime of 
memories and friendship.
  Teresa, I can't thank you enough for being by my side through this 
amazing journey and for being with me these final days in the U.S. 
Senate. We said we would run through the tape together, and I am really 
grateful we have.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.
  Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent I be permitted to speak for up to 
4 minutes and Senator Kennedy be permitted to speak for up to 30 
minutes prior to the scheduled vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.