[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9077]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO J. DAVID HOOD

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a faithful public 
servant on the occasion of his retirement. J. David Hood, the regional 
commissioner of the Public Buildings Service for General Services 
Administration's Great Lakes Region, is retiring on July 1, 2011, after 
40 years of dedicated service to the Federal Government. David heads an 
organization that is responsible for more than 35 million square feet 
of Federal offices and workplaces in nearly 1,000 buildings owned or 
leased by GSA. He also manages over $1.2 billion in construction and 
renovation projects throughout the region.
  David joined GSA's Great Lakes Regional Office in 1971 as an intern 
before becoming a real estate appraiser, a project manager, director of 
planning, and eventually serving as deputy assistant regional 
administrator, Public Buildings Service. In 1993, David moved to the 
agency's former Federal Supply Service, FSS, where he served as 
assistant regional administrator for 9 years before taking the same 
position, now regional commissioner, with Public Buildings Service. He 
is a member of the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service and is 
a recipient of GSA's Meritorious Service Award. David also served as 
acting regional administrator for GSA's Great Lakes Region from January 
2009 until January 2011.
  In a sense, David is the landlord for my State offices in Chicago and 
Carbondale. In that capacity, I saw firsthand David's commitment to the 
Federal Government and wise use of taxpayer money. Last year, my 
Chicago office in the Kluczynski Federal Building was in need of repair 
and reconfiguration. David and his team completed what would normally 
be a year-long project in just 4 months, and stayed within budget. In 
addition to meeting the operational needs of my Chicago staff so that 
they can best serve the people of Illinois, the renovation also 
produced considerable cost- and energy-savings.
  As David's storied career in public service comes to a close, I rise 
to thank him for his hard work on behalf of the American people, and in 
particular the people of Illinois. David is an exemplary civil servant, 
and while his retirement is well-deserved, his service to the Federal 
Government will be missed.

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