[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12851]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF PHILLIP D. STAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Phillip Star; a 
profoundly respected and influential member and civic leader in the 
Greater Cleveland community; and in recognition for his twenty years of 
service as Director of the Center for Neighborhood Development (CND) in 
the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State 
University.
   As a civic leader, community organizer, educator and author, Phillip 
Star carries with him a rich history of public service and advocacy in 
the Greater Cleveland Area. He earned his B.A. from the University of 
Wisconsin, an M.A. from New York University, and a J.D. from Case 
Western Reserve University. He has served the community in various 
leadership roles, dedicating his life to empowering and educating local 
residents in order to improve the quality of life in Cleveland's urban 
communities. He began his career in community organizing and 
neighborhood development as a volunteer in Gary, Indiana with VISTA. 
Prior to joining CND in 1988, he served as a consultant at University 
of Michigan's National Housing Institute and Housing Law Reform Project 
and as director of the Cleveland Tenants Organization.
   Since joining CND twenty-years ago, Mr. Star has had a tremendous 
and lasting effect on our community and all those who have been touched 
by his work. He has worked to develop future leaders in the field of 
community organizing and neighborhood planning by instituting year long 
internships for undergraduate Urban Studies students at various 
community development corporations, with over one-hundred students 
being placed in over sixty organizations. Mr. Star has successfully 
initiated several programs which empower the local community and 
promote civic engagement, including a mediation program for the 
Cleveland Housing Court and an online community resource for Cleveland 
Residents, NeighborhoodLink. Under his leadership, CND was designated 
by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs as a community 
partnership center.
   Mr. Star demonstrates his leadership abilities and dedication to 
fostering community development both in the classroom and in the 
community. He teaches courses such as neighborhood planning and 
Cleveland neighborhoods and neighborhood institutions at Cleveland 
State University and was Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's appointee to 
the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Action to Support Housing. His 
other Leadership positions include serving as President of the Ohio 
Housing Coalition, serving on the Board of Trustees of the National Low 
Income Housing Coalition, and serving as Acting Judge of the Cleveland 
Housing Court. Mr. Star is also the founding trustee and past president 
of the board of Eco-City Cleveland and as president of the board of the 
Living in Cleveland Center. He currently serves on the board of the 
Cleveland Tenants Organization and the Neighborhood Housing Service and 
for eight years served as past chairman of the Cuyahoga Affordable 
Housing Alliance.
   Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor of Phillip 
Star, who has dedicated his life to serving his community and everyone 
in the Greater Cleveland Area. Let his advocacy on behalf of the 
welfare of others serve as inspiration for all of us.

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