[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 189 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7236-S7238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO SENATOR BROWN'S OUTREACH STAFF

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring our outreach team, the staff who are out and about every day 
in Ohio communities, listening to and working with the people we serve.
  They make sure our work reaches every corner of Ohio, from Ashtabula 
to Cincinnati to Marietta to Toledo. Whether it is meeting with local 
governments or walking picket lines, visiting local businesses or 
representing our office at naturalization ceremonies or Eagle Scout 
dinners or neighborhood festivals, these dedicated workers embedded 
themselves in Ohio communities, in every county all over the State.
  I always said, I am an 88-county Senator. The outreach staff is a big 
reason why. And it is their conversations that help center our work on 
the issues that matter most to Ohioans.
  John Ryan has served Ohio as my State director for 18 years, since I 
was first elected in 2007. But our paths had crossed long before, when 
I was in my early 20s. John had just been elected president of CWA 
Local 4309. I had been elected to the State legislature representing my 
hometown of Mansfield, OH. We began working together on behalf of 
workers across our State. John was an aggressive, creative, and fierce 
union activist who was widely respected not just by workers, but by 
everyone in Cleveland, even if he was picketing outside their business. 
His political savvy, intelligence, and kindness made him a force in the 
fight for labor, as he served in leadership roles, including as the 
president of the Cleveland AFL-CIO.
  I learned so much about activism and advocacy from John. He is also 
the reason I made it to the U.S. Senate. In January of 2006, Connie and 
I asked him to run my campaign for the U.S. Senate. The campaign was 
struggling as we tried to get it off the ground. Campaign manager after 
campaign manager had turned us down. Then one night, Connie and I came 
up with the idea of John Ryan. Many people in this town were surprised 
that I was hiring a labor leader to run my campaign. But Washington 
would probably work a lot better if more people looked to the labor 
movement for leadership. Connie and I knew John's commitment to the 
dignity of work, his love for Ohio--and his vision for how our State 
and our country could truly live up to its promise.
  Because of John, I won that race. And since then he has led our in-
state team, taking only a brief leave of absence in 2011 when I asked 
him to help lead the effort to overturn S.B. 5, a bill in the 
statehouse that threatened union workers in Ohio.
  John has dedicated his life's work to the labor movement and to 
fighting for all workers--in Ohio and across the country. He is always 
looking for every opportunity to make workers' lives better. He 
understands the tools to advocate for workers go beyond just 
legislation. He knew that there was always a phone call to be made or a 
private letter to be sent that might secure workers a raise or a union 
contract.
  And whenever workers in Ohio faced a strike or organized a union, 
John was there--listening to them, providing his support and counsel, 
and ensuring that our office was doing everything we could--privately 
and publicly--to stand with workers as they fought for a voice in their 
workplace. Too many Senate offices just look out for the wealthy and 
powerful. John understood the difference this office could make, 
whether

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it was helping workers resolve a dispute or encouraging an organizing 
drive or calling on a corporation to meet workers at the bargaining 
table.
  John knows that grassroots organizing is at the heart of making 
change in this country. John was integral in passing the Butch Lewis 
Act, which restored the pensions of 100,000 workers after Wall Street 
gambled them away. Ohioans across our State have been able to retire 
with dignity and live with security because of John's tenacious 
advocacy.
  John wasn't just an advocate for workers; he was a mentor to 
countless staff from the interns to team managers. He enthusiastically 
welcomed new staff, going out of his way to listen to their story and 
what motivated them to work in public service. He was always ready to 
share his vast network of Ohioans and the many friends he has in 
communities across our State.
  John is a fierce advocate for Ohio. Over the past 18 years, he logged 
hundreds of thousands of miles driving to every corner of the State to 
meet one on one with community leaders and workers. No town was too big 
or too small. Every community was important to him, and he has a deep 
and vast knowledge of Ohio. He has such pride in being an Ohioan, and 
he understands that our state is so much more vast and diverse, with so 
much more culture and rich history, than the national caricature of the 
Rust Belt .
  No community celebration was too small for him to show up and attend. 
He listened carefully to what communities needed, whether it was a new 
playground or help fighting a trade case that threatened to shut down a 
local employer, and he knew how to get it done.
  A native Clevelander, John has been instrumental in the renaissance 
of our city. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Cleveland--its 
history, its neighborhoods, its culture, the people who have made their 
mark on our city. And he has used that knowledge to advocate for 
Cleveland to be the world-class city it should be.
  As an Ohioan, I am deeply grateful to John Ryan for his public 
service, for his fierce activism, for his roaring laugh and sharp 
instincts--and for his friendship.
  Ann Longsworth Orr first started in our office as our Toledo regional 
representative, before becoming our director of outreach and then our 
deputy state director.
  Over the years, Ann and I have traveled across Ohio together, racking 
up hundreds of thousands of miles as we traveled to communities from 
Xenia to Ashtabula to Bryan to Marietta to Sandusky to Middletown.
  On all those trips, Ann's empathy, her intellect, her sharp sense of 
humor, and her commitment to public service shone through. Ann cares 
deeply about Ohio and the mission of our office: to serve the people of 
the State she grew up in and calls home. Her remarkable organizational 
abilities, her attention to detail, and her understanding of how to 
make things happen were crucial to what this office has accomplished 
for the people of Ohio.
  Ann combines qualities that too many in public service lack. She is 
savvy and kind. A leader who starts by listening. Her many strengths 
are in forging coalitions, in creating a sense of belonging, and having 
the practical good sense about how to turn good ideas into reality.
  Ann came to our office having been a rural organizer. In that role, 
she listened. She listened to people she disagreed with. She heard 
people talk about their futures, their dreams, their fears, and their 
hopes. They often had the opposite political views as hers, but she 
found common ground.
  When she joined our staff, she brought that remarkable ability to 
really listen and solve problems to our office. Under her leadership, 
our office held more than 40 roundtables across Ohio with veterans to 
get the word out about the care and benefits they have earned from the 
PACT Act. She was crucial in organizing events and roundtables that 
elevated the voices of retirees who had seen their pension decimated by 
Wall Street, eventually leading to the passage of the Butch Lewis Act 
that saved the pensions of 100,000 workers.
  Under her leadership, our office was able to bring together 
businesses, schools, and unions each year to put on dozens of summer 
manufacturing camps where kids could begin to imagine themselves as 
part of Ohio's manufacturing future. And it was in no small part 
because of Ann that every year our office brought together college 
students across Ohio for a daylong summit about leadership and public 
service.
  Ann cares deeply about her colleagues and her staff. She has mentored 
so many--not just in Ohio, but in Washington. When someone new joined 
the office, whether in Ohio or in Washington, it was often Ann who 
welcomed them--and guided them. For staff not from Ohio, she helped 
teach them about the State she loves--and was always a calming 
presence, reassuring them that a field hearing would be a success or 
that a high-stakes meeting would go well.
  She helped mentor a generation of outreach staff, quietly teaching 
them how to be effective and powerful public servants. She taught our 
staff how to listen to people and bring them together to solve 
problems. She taught them to work with labor and fight for working 
people. That mentorship is part of her legacy, and the staffers she 
trained will continue to serve our State and our country for decades.
  She was also a great friend. Every day we were on the road, she got 
in the car--sometimes very early--with a delicious homemade smoothie 
and a smile. Even during the most challenging times, she found the joy 
in public service--and also the humor in it.
  The wisdom and experience she brought to this office made me a better 
Senator--and made our State a better place for so many Ohioans.
  Kam Anderson was a public school teacher who wanted to join my staff 
so he could have more impact in the community than in the classroom. He 
succeeded in so many ways to lift up the voices of the muted and bring 
together people to help resolve community issues in Southwest Ohio.
  Anthony Eliopoulos served my Senate office as our senior veterans and 
military liaison, while also serving our country in the Army Reserves. 
He listened and learned at scores of veteran roundtables throughout the 
State and was a tireless advocate for veterans and Ohioans in the 
military.
  Joyce Powdrill, my southwest Ohio director, connected our office with 
all kinds of people--from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Lima, to rural Ohio. 
She was relentless in standing up for social and economic justice and a 
fierce fighter for people often overlooked. Just this year, she 
organized a Women's Conference in Cincinnati that drew hundreds of 
participants eager to connect and grow as leaders. Joyce helped to 
resolve so many issues to make Ohio a better place to live and work.
  As my central Ohio regional director for over a decade, Joe Gilligan 
brought to the office an understanding of the Ohio Statehouse, and was 
able to leverage his knowledge of State and local politics to better 
connect all levels of government to the Federal Government. He staffed 
me for countless meetings and events in the Columbus area and connected 
disenfranchised communities with our government. Earlier this year, Joe 
helped put together my Senate hearing in Columbus on fixing multi-
employer pensions for 100,000 workers.
  As my northwest regional representative, Erica Krause worked with 
leaders from Toledo to Bryan to Sandusky and everywhere in between. She 
brought together community leaders and public officials to make the 
Federal Government work better and to improve both rural and urban 
communities in her region.
  In addition to being my central Ohio regional representative, Emma 
Speyer used her teamwork expertise to coordinate our statewide Propel 
Collegiate Student Leadership Conference, bringing together hundreds of 
college students and administrators to become more involved in their 
community.
  Jordan Pennell, a Youngstown University graduate, wanted to stay in 
his hometown to put his considerable skills to use for his entire 
region. He served as my representative of the area from the 
Pennsylvania line to Lake County and the Mahoning Valley and special 
projects coordinator as well. Jordan was the ``dot connector'' for 
every public official, labor leader, community activist, and the 
business community in his region. Jordan also helped lead our efforts 
to expand our

[[Page S7238]]

summer manufacturing camps around the State.
  Kaleb Knowlton served admirably as regional representative in 
Appalachian Ohio. Not long after he joined my staff, a train derailment 
in East Palestine threw the community into crisis. Kaleb stepped in to 
coordinate Federal assistance and build strong relationships with 
leaders to assure that we got them the support they needed and could 
advocate for changes in rail law to better protect communities.
  JT Huffer-Cole has served with dedication as north central Ohio 
regional representative. He assisted with statewide events and helped 
coordinate some of the many summer manufacturing camps our office 
organized to show young people the careers available in American 
manufacturing.

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