[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12372-12373]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARY A. FRANCIS

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to an 
Alaskan who has devoted most of her adult life to education in Alaska. 
Dr. Mary A. Francis will retire today, June 30, 2010, from her 
positions as the executive director of both the Alaska Council of 
School Administrators and the Association of Alaska School 
Administrators. Her leadership, advocacy, encouragement, and experience 
will be missed.

[[Page 12373]]

  Mary's career in education began as an English teacher. Over the 
course of time, her skills and dedication brought her to different jobs 
in communities across Alaska. Her first assignment as an administrator 
was as curriculum director for the Lower Kuskokwim School District, a 
district that includes some of Alaska's most remote villages along the 
Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska. Later, as assistant superintendent 
in Fairbanks, she experienced life ``in the big city''--a comparative 
term as Alaskan cities go. The bulk of her career, though, has been 
spent in southeast Alaska, as superintendent in Wrangell, a 12-year 
tenure as Petersburg's superintendent, and most recently 8 years in 
Juneau serving Alaska's school administrators.
  It was in Petersburg where Mary's competence was recognized on the 
national stage when she was selected by her peers and recognized by the 
American Association of School Administrators as Alaska's 
Superintendent of the Year in 2000.
  At the time of her retirement from Petersburg, Mary briefly 
considered spending her remaining years playing golf and enjoying life. 
She quickly realized that she would be bored stiff and accepted the 
position as executive director of the Alaska Council of School 
Administrators in 2002. This is not an easy job, as Mary was asked to 
represent the diverse perspectives of superintendents and other central 
office administrators, university professors, elementary and secondary 
principals, and school business officials. As executive director, Mary 
was also asked to assist these diverse member organizations to 
accomplish their mission: to provide leadership for and promotion of a 
collective professional voice in setting the educational agenda for 
Alaska. Throughout her tenure, Mary provided inspiration, authentic 
understanding, advocacy, and encouragement to the council as a whole as 
well as to its individual members.
  Mary Francis has done this difficult job with grace, tact, firmness, 
and a sense of humor for 8 years. Mary noted, in announcing her 
resignation, ``There is never a good time to make a decision to leave a 
position. However, ACSA's financial position is sound and with a 
working Strategic Plan in place, the organization is on solid footing 
now and for the future.''
  ACSA Board President Pete Swanson remarked, ``Dr. Francis' 
resignation has been accepted with reluctance by the Board. She will be 
sorely missed as she provides just the right balance of oversight for 
our board and the AASA board for whom she also serves in the Executive 
Director capacity. Her ability to advocate for and represent the school 
administrators of Alaska with the Legislature and many statewide 
committee forums is considerable. Dr. Francis leaves a legacy of 
working hard for the concerns and issues of Alaska's school 
administrators.''
  On behalf of the countless educators whose lives she has touched, I 
extend my gratitude to Dr. Mary A. Francis for her selfless dedication 
to advancing the cause of education in Alaska and I wish her a happy, 
healthy, and exciting retirement.

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