[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 189 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7234-S7235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO SENATOR BROWN'S COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my communications 
team. All that we do in government--passing legislation, pushing for 
investment in Ohio, holding government and corporations accountable--
doesn't mean much if the people we serve don't know about it and don't 
understand why it matters to their lives. That is what our 
communications team does.
  Our communications staff interact every day with journalists in Ohio, 
treating reporters with the respect they deserve and an appreciation 
for the crucial work they do.
  And they interact with Ohioans all over our State who want to know 
whether their government is serving them.
  The comms team helps all of us think a little less about how 
something might sound in Washington and a lot more about how it will be 
understood by Ohioans.
  Kevin Donohoe has led our communications team over the past 2 years 
with an appreciation for the importance and integrity of journalism and 
for how ordinary Ohioans get their information and interact with their 
government.
  Kevin is the newest senior member of our team, but after only a few 
short months on the job, it seemed to most of us like he had been here 
forever. He fit seamlessly into Team Brown.
  Despite being a quintessential New Englander, Kevin immediately made 
it his mission to not just learn about Ohio, but to really embed 
himself in the culture of our State. And he quickly earned the trust 
and respect of Ohio journalists.
  Within a few short months on the job, Kevin had been to East 
Palestine, which was still reeling from Norfolk Southern's toxic train 
derailment. He had been to the grand opening of the Bit-O-Honey line at 
Spangler Candy that the Butch Lewis Act made possible. And he was 
telling anyone who would listen about how cool our summer manufacturing 
camps are and the projects he saw kids working on in Dayton.
  Kevin quickly--intuitively--understood the mission of this office. 
And he was able to translate that mission to the public and bring the 
work of government to the people who matter most: the people we serve.
  Few are better at taking in large amounts of new information and 
being able to quickly articulate a vision and a strategy. Kevin is 
nothing if not a strategic thinker.
  Kevin also brought out the best in a young, talented communications 
staff. He is excellent at providing people direction, while still 
giving them room to grow--to learn to do things themselves and to 
develop their own instincts.
  He was the comms team's biggest advocate. He was always looking for 
opportunities for staff not just to thrive in their jobs, but to grow 
and to take on new challenges.
  In this job, it would have been easy to hunker down and leave little 
room for fun. But that is not Kevin.
  No one would ever accuse him of being low energy or taking himself 
too seriously; he is known for pacing the office with a baseball bat. 
One staffer even dressed as Kevin for Halloween, coffee stains and 
rumpled hair included. But we like rumpled in this office.
  And that energy is infectious. Kevin never does anything halfway, and 
he has brought that combination of enthusiasm and focus to the entire 
team.
  Katie Mulhall Quintela has served in my Senate communications shop 
since 2015, beginning her Senate career as my speechwriter and 
continuing to serve the people of Ohio and the Nation as a senior 
member of my Senate team.
  Over the last decade, Katie has been a leader in advancing the 
dignity of work, having helped craft a strong message advocating for 
American workers and rallying against corporate greed. She and I have 
worked together to draft countless speeches, remarks, op-eds, and 
letters to the editor.
  With every word, Katie always remembered who we were working for and 
speaking to. She helped elevate the voices of the people of Ohio and 
workers across the country here in Washington, making sure their 
stories were told. And she invited them into the conversation by 
cutting through the Washington jargon to ensure the focus was always 
the lives of the people we serve.
  Together, often with Connie, we have poured over pages to get the 
words just right, whether in preparing for my March 3, 2017, speech at 
Ohio State University unveiling our plan, ``Working Too Hard for Too 
Little,'' or drafting a floor speech honoring Ohio workers or selecting 
the right words to needle a CEO before the Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs Committee.
  And in what is perhaps one of my favorite pastimes, we have kept the 
editorial department at the Wall Street Journal on its toes, calling 
out its anti-worker, free-trade-loving board at every opportunity. 
There is not a statement or public speech I have given in the last 
decade that Katie's work with me hasn't made better.
  Katie is smart and collaborative. She is also my toughest critic. Her 
persistence and good advice are one of the reasons our office has been 
so successful and our message has always resonated with so many people 
across the country and State.
  While her messaging advice and strong writing are her career, it is 
so much more than words on a paper to Katie. She is deeply committed to 
making our country a better place for working people and has been there 
for some of our toughest Senate battles and some of my proudest moments 
serving in the U.S. Senate.
  Katie has gotten to know the pensioners and was a part of passing the 
Butch Lewis Act on their behalf. She learned the stories of veterans in 
our State and their spouses as we fought to pass the PACT Act. She 
shares those successes on behalf of Ohio and the American people.
  Connie and I have come to know Katie and her family over the years, 
including her son Charlie, who even dressed up as me for Halloween. I 
am honored she chose to devote her career to the people of Ohio, and I 
will miss working with her each day.
  Brian Lyons, a proud son of Youngstown, began as a press intern more 
than 4 years ago and worked his way up from intern to press assistant 
to press secretary. Few have grown more in their jobs than Brian, who 
is a gifted strategist, has built relationships with--and earned the 
respect of--reporters all across the State and has developed an 
encyclopedic knowledge of the Ohio press corps. His passion for this 
job and for Ohio workers is so clear in all that he does.
  Elaine Vilem brought all of her passion for her home State--not to 
mention the Guardians--to this job. Her warmth and her ability to 
connect with anyone, combined with her stellar instincts and ability to 
think on her feet, made her a natural at organizing events across Ohio.
  Maggie Amjad is the definition of a utility player. From her start as 
both a deputy speechwriter and press assistant, she quickly proved 
herself indispensable to the entire team--talented at both writing and 
press alike, ready to step up to any task, excel at it, and do it with 
enthusiasm.
  Logan Basch's creativity is evident in all he does, getting our 
message out to Ohioans, from videos to newsletters to memes I have 
never even heard of on Instagram. Logan isn't just skilled at what he 
does; he is always ready to pitch in, stepping up to assist the rest of 
the team wherever he can.

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