[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5435]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


           HONORING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF SUSIE WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2015

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues the 
Honorable Anna Eshoo and the Honorable Michael Honda, to honor the life 
and achievements of a distinguished member of our community, Susanne 
(``Susie'') Wilson. She has been a longstanding leader in the Santa 
Clara Valley as both a public official and a community advocate. Susie 
served as a member of the San Jose City Council from 1973-1978. She 
also served as Vice-Mayor of San Jose from 1976-1978, she was a member 
of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for District 1 from 
1979-1991; serving as Chairperson in 1982, 1986, and 1990.
  Susie also served as Chair of the Valley Transit District Board, and 
was the first woman to become President of the Association of Bay Area 
Governments. She was a founding member in 1974 of California Elected 
Women for Education and Research (CEWEAR), as well as past President 
and life member. In 1990, she became a member of the Valley Medical 
Center Foundation Board of Directors, and has also served as its 
President. Susie has been a champion of social justice, and one of her 
important accomplishments was her success as Chair of the YWCA Villa 
Nueva Capital Campaign. Villa Nueva is a 63-family residential housing 
unit for low-income families, which houses transitional and affordable 
housing, mostly for single mothers and their kids. To honor Susie, the 
building was named in her honor when it opened in 1993.
  As a long-time distinguished volunteer of the YWCA, a scholarship has 
also been named in her honor, the ``Susanne B. Wilson Scholarship 
Award,'' which is given each year to a young woman from one of the YWCA 
programs. For almost 40 years, Susie Wilson has been the driving force 
behind the YWCA of Silicon Valley. Susie's belief in the YWCA's mission 
of empowering women and eliminating racism makes her a fearless and 
tireless advocate to raise support, both morally and financially, for 
the YWCA. Since 1999 she has been CEO of WKW Mechanical Contractors, 
Inc. and a sole proprietor of a governmental consulting firm called, 
Solutions by Wilson, which she started in 1991 after she retired from 
the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
  Susie Wilson has a superb record of community service as well as 
service to San Jose State University. Susie served as a lecturer during 
the 1980's; and in 1994, she was the first visiting professor for the 
``Leader in Residence'' program at San Jose State University, teaching 
a senior seminar in the ethical issues of politics.
  Susie also served as the Alumni Steering Committee for the Political 
Science Department, and has been a member of the Spartan Foundation 
since 1982, and was the Foundation's past President from 2004-2006. She 
has also lent regular support to the Don Edwards lecture series. Susie 
was one of the founders and participants of the ``Walk for Women of 
Sparta,'' the largest fundraiser by women for women athletes, which 
raised over $1 million for women athletic scholarships. She has also 
been active in the Spartan Foundation, a key fundraising organization 
of San Jose State University, and also served on the executive 
committee and board of directors. Susie also received the prestigious 
Tower Award from the university for the 1995-96 academic year.
  Susie has also done work for numerous organizations, such as: the 
United Way, the Boy Scouts of America, and Cambrian Park United 
Methodist Church, the church she has attended for more than 30 years.
  Susie was a founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus, 
a multipartisan, multicultural grassroots organization dedicated to 
increasing women's participation in the political field, designed to 
achieve equality for all women. Susie is also a member of the American 
Association of University Women, a leading voice promoting equity and 
education for women and girls.
  It is evident by the many roles that Susie has taken on, that she is 
a vital member of the Silicon Valley community and an inspiration for 
women and men alike. Thus, it is our privilege to honor her as a 
significant person in the 19th Congressional District. We would like to 
take this occasion to thank Susie for her many gifts and contributions 
to the community of San Jose.




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