[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13226]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO LEANNE MEDEMA

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, today I join my colleague, Mr. 
Risch, to honor an outstanding woman as she retires from everyday 
working life. Leanne Medema has spent close to 20 years working on 
behalf of Idaho's nuclear research industry, and she has been a 
terrific asset to local contractors as well as to the Idaho 
congressional delegation over the years.
  Leanne came to Idaho from Illinois in the early 1990s and helped 
manage a complex and very public transition with one of the Idaho 
National Laboratory's facilities, INL, the Idaho Chemical Processing 
Plant. She has spent 30 years working to improve the working 
environment of the companies who have employed her. And she has 
succeeded admirably. She has a personable manner that makes everyone 
feel comfortable, and she has an unerring sense of how best to resolve 
conflicts and address other challenges.
  Most recently, Leanne worked as the protocol officer at the INL, 
which was a terrific fit. She always handled herself well and dealt 
with tough situations without ever losing her poise.
  INL's reputation has increased nationally and internationally, and 
Leanne's efforts have been essential to the process. She always goes 
above and beyond to make sure each visitor to INL feels like they are a 
special guest.
  We have particularly appreciated Leanne's relationship with our own 
Senate offices. Her professionalism was always top notch, her knowledge 
of the INL is superb and her ability to communicate and work easily 
with others is among the finest we have seen. When schedules are tight 
and people were stressed, Leanne had the ability to rise above it all 
and navigate the pitfalls with style, grace and ease.
  We would be remiss if we didn't mention Leanne and her family and 
their involvement in the local community. She was an active volunteer 
with the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce serving as co-chair on the 
Legislative Committee and always did an outstanding job in each of her 
assignments.
  As she nears retirement, we join many others in thanking her for her 
service to her community and the state of Idaho. She has done an 
outstanding job at the INL, one that will be hard for others to fill. 
We wish her the best in her retirement, knowing that she isn't one to 
stay still for long. Thank you, Leanne, and enjoy your future 
endeavors.

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