[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14022-14023]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DONDA MORGAN

  Mr. UDALL. Madam President, I wish to say a heartfelt thank you and 
congratulations to Donda Morgan, who retired at the end of last month 
after 17 years and 8 months with my office. I do this knowing that she 
shies away from fuss and attention, preferring to stay quiet and behind 
the scenes. But she deserves this recognition for her service to me--
and especially to the people of New Mexico.
  Donda was born and raised in the Clovis-Portales area of Eastern New 
Mexico. She graduated from Eastern New Mexico University and worked in 
public service for over two decades. She came to Washington in 1995 
after a nearly 10-year stint with Capitol Government Reports, a Santa 
Fe publication. She went to work for one of my predecessors in the 
House of Representatives, former U.S. Representative Bill Richardson, 
until he was appointed Energy Secretary. So I knew she was well 
qualified for the job. When I was elected in 1998, she joined my new 
congressional office, starting almost on the first day of the new year, 
January 3, 1999.
  Donda began as the manager of my office operations, managing the 
office budget and then my schedule--which I am sure was no easy task. 
As one newspaper reporter once wrote, she was in charge of ``everything 
that [came] in and out of the . . . office from pencils and pens to 
letterhead and business cards.'' She served with me throughout my 
tenure in the House and then moved over to the Senate staff as my 
executive assistant and scheduler when I was elected to this body in 
2009.
  I admire many things about Donda, but perhaps the most important is 
that she served with the highest integrity. As my assistant and 
scheduler, she worked directly with New Mexicans who came to my 
Washington office for appointments or to check in with me or my staff. 
Donda was always particularly careful to make sure that everyone was 
treated the same. In a sense, she was the face of my Senate office, 
scheduling and greeting everyone--celebrated or not--with equal parts 
of graciousness and firmness, while keeping the train running on time, 
a daunting task in a Senate office. She firmly appreciated that her 
first responsibility was to the people of New Mexico. My constituents 
from New Mexico got to know and love her. I have heard them comment 
that they were glad that she was my scheduler because they knew she 
would try her best to make sure they had an opportunity to see me.
  Donda has a strong work ethic and was an incredible coworker and team 
player, always willing to help where she could. She also has a quirky 
sense of style. My staff especially enjoyed hearing ZZ Top and AC/DC 
playing from her office while she worked. She was known for wearing 
colorful hightop sneakers, chosen with the help of her beloved grandson 
Aiden.
  Donda also has a fondness for certain celebrities, and while she 
shied away from the fuss, she enjoyed seeing some of the Hollywood 
stars who sometimes visit Congress to talk about issues they care 
about. But, more than anything, Donda appreciates good, hard work. My 
dad used to say it was important not just to ``get it done--but get it 
done right.'' And that fits Donda to a T. She had a demanding job. To 
use a metaphor, she was a juggler, and she managed to do it with humor 
and unfailing commitment.
  Time, which she managed for my office with such skill and aplomb, has

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now brought her to a much deserved retirement, which I know she will 
manage with equal grace and spirit. I thank her on behalf of my office 
and the people of New Mexico.

                          ____________________