[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 265-266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RICK CARTER

  Mr. PETERS. Madam President, 8 months ago, as I delivered my maiden 
speech in the Senate, I discussed how honored I am to have succeeded 
Senator Carl Levin, a mentor to me and a man who defined what it meant 
to be a Senator from Michigan--a feeling that has only deepened during 
the past year that I have served in this body.
  During his 36 years of service, Senator Levin personally met tens of 
thousands of Michiganders. He remains beloved by many, including those 
who might never have had the opportunity to shake his hand or sit down 
next to him. This is due in no small part to his tireless commitment 
and accessibility in responding to questions and comments from his 
constituents, whether those issues arose in person, over the phone, in 
a letter, or--during the latter half of Senator Levin's tenure--email. 
Michiganders reaching out to his office knew that they would be heard 
and that they could expect a thoughtful, honest response about their 
Senator's positions.
  These responses--hundreds of thousands a year and millions over the 
course of Senator Levin's career--were made possible by his 
correspondence manager, Rick Carter. Rick worked for Senator Levin for 
almost two decades, and I have had the privilege to have him on my team 
since early last year.
  While I have known him for only a year, this has been more than 
enough time to learn that Rick is a model public servant and a role 
model for generations of congressional staffers. Rick is

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humble, thoughtful, and fiercely committed to working behind the scenes 
to help other staff succeed and to grow. He has been instrumental in 
establishing my Senate office, and I will be eternally grateful for 
this honorary Michigander's efforts.
  Rick grew up in DC. Perhaps his future career was foreshadowed by 
growing up in the Michigan Park neighborhood. He was a standout student 
at DeMatha Catholic High School and earned a scholarship at George 
Washington University, where he studied sociology.
  During his time at GW, he interned for Congressman John Conyers, a 
legend of the civil rights movement, current Dean of the House of 
Representatives, and a man I am honored to call my friend and a 
Michigan colleague.
  Graduating from GW in 1995, Rick began what would be a 19-year career 
with Senator Levin. He worked his way up from the front office and 
mastered a number of different positions before deciding that managing 
the correspondence team best allowed him to balance engaging on matters 
of policy, serving the people of Michigan, and mentoring junior 
staffers.
  While Rick has many skills and qualities you might expect from a 
seasoned staffer, including being an excellent writer, editor, and 
consummate professional, it is his extraordinary commitment to 
developing young minds that I wish to focus on for a moment.
  Rick has helped dozens and perhaps hundreds of young graduates, 
former interns, and junior staffers find jobs in public service. Along 
with refining writing skills and polishing resumes, Rick has taught a 
generation of staffers things they did not learn in college: how to be 
a professional, how to show up on time, and how to simultaneously 
function independently as well as part of a team. His former interns 
are legislative directors, chiefs of staff, and chief counsels. The 
list of favors he is owed is extensive, but he never asks for anything 
in return.
  He might ask you to run with him, though. As a charity marathon 
coach, he has helped raise money to fight AIDS. As a year-round 
positive influence--and not just during a New Year's resolution 
season--he is always looking for current and past colleagues to run 
with him. I will not even begin to speculate on the cumulative pounds 
lost due to his inspiration.
  Rick has been a surrogate big brother and father figure for so many 
staffers. It is especially meaningful that Rick has started his own 
family with his wife Nakia. Their son Mason and new baby Ryan are lucky 
to have such a loving, dedicated dad. I wish their entire family the 
best as Rick starts his own small business to pursue real estate 
development in the DC area.
  It is said that the only constant in life is change. While Rick 
Carter has been a constant in the Michigan delegation for more than two 
decades and I will miss having him in my office, I deeply appreciate 
his two decades of service and respect his desire to take on new 
challenges. Rick Carter will always be a part of both Team Levin and 
Team Peters.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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