[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JO ANNE GOODNIGHT

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I recognize Jo Anne Goodnight, an 
extraordinary member of my staff who will shortly be leaving the Hill 
to return to her position as division of special programs director and 
SBIR/STTR program manager at the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. 
Jo Anne has brought tremendous enthusiasm, insight, and expertise to 
her position as a detailee for the Senate Committee on Small Business 
and Entrepreneurship, and I am sad to see her leave.
  Jo Anne joined my committee staff in June 2009 to help me shepherd 
the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, 
and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs through the 
Senate. These critical initiatives help move innovative ideas from mind 
to marketplace, and there is probably no one who understands the 
details of these programs better than Jo Anne. A recognized expert in 
her field, she began her present position at NIH in 1999, where she 
manages and coordinates the SBIR and STTR programs for the Department 
of Health and Human Services' public health agencies, such as NIH, the 
Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. In her capacity as program manager, Jo Anne has 
appeared as a witness before many congressional committees, which is 
why I had the utmost confidence that she would hit the ground running 
upon her arrival at the committee--and she did!
  From her first moment here, Jo Anne established a reputation as a 
hardworking, intelligent, and dedicated staff member. She dedicated 
countless hours preparing me to work towards a consensus to reauthorize 
the SBIR and STTR programs with my colleagues, and she was a vocal 
leader at staff-driven meetings. She had no shortage of ideas on how 
best to advance our interests, and was open and honest about the best 
approach to take in forging a compromise. While our work is not 
complete regarding a long-term reauthorization of these initiatives, Jo 
Anne has laid a tremendous foundation for our future negotiations.
  As time went on, Jo Anne demonstrated a strong capacity for 
developing new ideas, and she began aiding me with other issue areas, 
such as innovation and technology. Her assistance was essential in 
helping to move a critical bill I introduced with Senator Mark Pryor on 
science parks through the Commerce Committee. Additionally, Jo Anne 
helped me add language to the bill encouraging the development of 
science and research parks on bases closed by the Base Realignment and 
Closure process. I am hopeful that this language, if passed by the full 
Senate, will help communities like Brunswick, ME, redevelop quickly.
  Jo Anne has had a remarkable career in and out of government. In 
addition to her most recent service at NIH, she worked for several 
years at the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, as its SBIR/STTR 
program coordinator and the special assistant to the director of the 
division of cancer biology. She also has extensive research experience 
at the NIH, the FDA, the University of Southern California, and, as an 
undergraduate cooperative education student from Virginia Tech, at the 
Department of Agriculture's Animal Parasitology Institute in Maryland.
  Throughout her lengthy career, Jo Anne has been the recipient of 
numerous awards, including three NIH Director's Awards and five more 
NIH Merit Awards for dedication, initiative, and exemplary 
contributions to various projects. Jo Anne has also won the 1996 
Outstanding Performance Award from the NCI's division of cancer 
biology, and the 2007 Federal Executive Institute's Certificate of 
Achievement.
  What is most striking about Jo Anne--aside from her remarkable 
intelligence and passion for her work--is her easygoing and humorous 
nature. A true joke teller, Jo Anne loves to laugh and make others 
laugh with her. She is a kind and generous person who is constantly 
willing to help her coworkers in any way possible. Jo Anne always has a 
smile on her face, and her upbeat personality makes her a pleasure to 
work with.
  Additionally, Jo Anne and her husband Will have a home in Lamoine, a 
small coastal town near Maine's beautiful Acadia National Park. They 
find themselves driving to Maine at least once a month, and Jo Anne 
hopes to relocate there in the coming years. It is wonderful talking 
with her about all of the great and unique places to visit in the area, 
and I am thrilled that she has fallen so deeply in love with my home 
State.
  Jo Anne also enjoys spending time with her colleagues off the Hill. 
In October, she organized an office chili cook-off, where members of my 
staff brought pots of their homemade chili to Jo Anne's home. There, 
they enjoyed a wonderful afternoon dedicated to getting to know one 
another better while consuming numerous varieties of chili. Jo Anne was 
a gracious hostess, and everyone greatly enjoyed the experience.
  I am honored to have had someone as talented and passionate as Jo 
Anne Goodnight on my staff. Jo Anne brings a visible sense of 
dedication and professionalism to the job every day, and her 
commendable work ethic and incredible creativity are sources of pride. 
I wish Jo Anne and her family the best of luck as she transitions back 
to the NIH, and look forward to seeing her in Maine.

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