[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15726-15727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING CONNIE STEWART AS 2014 NONPROFIT LEADER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 2014

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Connie 
Stewart, who was honored on November 5, 2014, with the Northern 
California Association of Nonprofits 2014 Nonprofit Leader Achievement 
Award, a recognition she richly deserves.
  Connie's service to California and my congressional district has been 
exemplary. Her work on the Arcata City Council, as staff for the 
California Assembly, and as the executive director of the California 
Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University has improved the 
lives of many in the community. Connie Stewart has worked tirelessly to 
promote broadband deployment, economic development, food security, 
youth leadership, and improved healthcare for all.
  Raised in New Jersey, Connie Stewart later attended Humboldt State 
University, where she graduated with a B.A. in speech communication. 
She went on to work at the Northcoast Environmental Center for 14 years 
before serving as senior field representative to Assemblywoman Patty 
Berg for seven years. Connie Stewart was elected to the Arcata City 
Council in 1996, was re-elected in 2000, and served as mayor for two 
years.
  Connie Stewart became executive director at the California Center for 
Rural Policy in 2009. Within four years, she had expanded staff from 
three to 25 and cultivated relationships with private foundations and 
government agencies, bringing in millions of dollars for a wide variety 
of rural projects. During this time, she also served on the Aspen 
Institute Community Strategies Group Product Design Advisory Team for 
the Wealth Creation and Rural Livelihoods Initiative. Connie Stewart is 
well respected throughout the community as a civic leader and rural 
policy powerhouse.
  Mr. Speaker, Connie Stewart's commitment to improving community 
services through her nonprofit work in Humboldt County is commendable 
and worthy of recognition. I urge my

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colleagues to join me in extending our congratulations to her.

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