[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 15941-15942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING COURTNEY STADD

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I would like to a moment of the Senate's 
time to recognize someone who has served our Nation with great dignity, 
humility and energy. For more than two decades, Mr. Courtney Stadd has 
worked tirelessly to secure America's future in technology, 
aeronautics, and space. His leadership as a team builder, policymaker, 
entrepreneur, and senor administration official are evidenced around 
this city, our Nation and in the horizons that surround the Earth.
  In my home State of Alaska, Mr. Stadd helped guide the construction 
of Kenai and the Alaskan Spaceport Authority. As a board member, he 
played a critical role in enabling America's newest spaceport to serve 
the well-being of commercial, public sector, and military interests.
  As a member of the Reagan and Bush administrations he was an active 
voice and proponent for creating commercial markets in geospatial 
imagery, launch services, information technology and other critical 
sectors that will advance America's economy far into the 21st century.
  In his service to this President, Mr. Stadd led the transition team 
for NASA and ultimately assumed the role of National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, NASA, Chief of Staff/White House Liaison. In this 
role, he served then administrator, Mr. Dan Goldin--working to support 
missions and nationwide personnel through the September 11th attacks 
and anthrax threat, which struck NASA Headquarters, just blocks away 
from this very body. He served Administrator Goldin until the end of 
his tenure in November 2001 and provided for a smooth and orderly 
transition for NASA's current administrator, my friend, Mr. Sean 
O'Keefe.
  During his transition into NASA, Administrator O'Keefe found a valued 
partner and ally to support his vision and charge for fundamental 
management and financial reform within the agency. He asked Courtney to 
lead the Freedom to Manage Initiative, which focused on empowering 
NASA's extraordinary workforce to identify policies and regulations 
that impeded performance. The administrator also took advantage of 
Stadd's distinguished commercial background and asked for his 
assistance in restructuring NASA's accounting systems and management 
strategies. Both efforts have put NASA on solid ground and will enable 
the agency that revealed the secrets of the heavens to once again soar 
with abandon.
  His service to this administrator and its workforce know no boundary 
and for that reason, Mr. O'Keefe called upon Courtney's talents and 
energies for support during the Columbia accident and its subsequent 
investigation. His care for the crew, their families, and the entire 
NASA workforce truly distinguished itself during some very challenging 
days.
  As my words have chronicled, Courtney Stadd has been a faithful and 
valuable colleague for Administrator O'Keefe and the NASA workforce to 
depend upon. He has been a model to his peers and colleagues at NASA, 
the aerospace community and throughout the administration of integrity 
and poise in service to the American public. We are blessed in a Nation 
as bountiful as this one to have people such as him who take upon the 
cloak of public service and perform so admirably.
  In the coming days, Mr. Stadd will be departing from his position at 
NASA to return to private life. As he leaves public service, the 
Members of this body and administration should pause to recognize him 
for his distinguished service. He has contributed much in his 
distinguished career to better America and I am grateful to honor him 
today.

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  I wish him well in all of his endeavors.

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