[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11092]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


GRACE OMEGA GARCES, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 2002 REGION IX 
                 ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 21, 2002

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this occasion to 
congratulate Grace Omega Garces for having been selected for the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's 2002 Environmental Achievement Award. 
This award recognizes individuals who have done exceptional work and 
have shown commitment to the environment. Grace is the public 
information and education officer for the Guam Environmental Protection 
Agency.
  Under this capacity, Grace has directed and implemented the Guam 
EPA's public information, community outreach and environmental 
education programs through the use of strategic planning to create an 
educated and informed citizenry. She has also been in charge of 
enhancing the agency's public profile and credibility through media 
releases and updates. She has made determinations on the forms, 
messages, audiences and desired impacts of high-quality communications 
products regarding the Guam EPA and Guam's natural resources. Part of 
her responsibilities included serving as adjunct risk communications 
officer for contingencies such as the Supertyphoon Paka Disaster, the 
Ordot Landfill Fire, the Orote Landfill Seafood Warning, the 
Installation Restoration Project, the Agana Swamp PCB Warnings, the 
Agana Power Plant and the Base Realignment and Closure Project. She has 
also produced and conceptually developed the Guam EPA website.
  The youngest of Joe and Nieves Garces' five children, Grace was born 
and raised on the island of Guam, graduating from Oceanview High School 
in Agat, Guam. While in high school, she was inducted into the national 
honor society and was elected student body president. She received the 
Soroptimist International of the Mariana Youth Citizenship Award and 
was selected as youth ambassador to Japan for the Blue Sea and Green 
Land Foundation Guam/Japan Youth Exchange in the summer of 1996. She 
was also a co-captain of the cheerleading squad.
  Dedicated to the pursuit of higher education, Grace earned a Bachelor 
of Arts from the University of California, San Diego. She majored in 
both Political Science and History with minors in Economics and 
Advanced Calculus. In June of this year, a Master of Public 
Administration degree was conferred upon her by the University of Guam. 
While at the University of Guam, she was the recipient of the Dr. Pedro 
C. Sanchez Professional Scholarship.
  Grace's work experience include a wide variety of posts in both the 
private and public sector. Prior to her employment with the Guam EPA, 
she worked, on several occasions, as an aide and a consultant to local 
senators. She has both been a freelance writer and a copy editor for 
the local daily newspaper. She has also been a volunteer broadcaster 
and radio program host for Guam Public Radio. While in college, she was 
the executive director of the university's Associated Students 
Internship Office and later became a Research Assistant and Fellow.
  In addition to this recent award, Grace has also been the recipient 
of a number of local, regional and national honors and awards. The 
Government of Guam Bureau of Women's Affairs named her the Outstanding 
Woman of the Year for Local/Federal Government in 2002. She has 
received a number of awards and nominations for the Governor of Guam's 
Employee Recognition Program. For several years running, she has also 
been given the honor of making presentations in regional and national 
EPA conferences.
  The hard work and dedication of Grace Garces brings much welcomed 
recognition, focus and attention to the island of Guam. I applaud her 
efforts and urge her to keep up the good work.

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