[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING BARBARA CHRISTENSEN UPON HER RETIREMENT FROM THE SAN MATEO 
                   COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 23, 2016

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Barbara Christensen upon 
her retirement as a senior administrator in the San Mateo County 
Community College District. In the manner of an Olympic decathlon 
athlete, Barbara Christensen has exceeded the bar in the full range of 
professional activities over the years, and the people of San Mateo 
County have been the beneficiary.
  Hired forty years ago by the district to handle public affairs, 
Barbara performed her job well but quickly realized that a 
reorganization was needed. Soon, each campus of the community college 
district was communicating professionally with the public, leading to 
greater responsiveness to the public and to the development of an 
individual identity for each campus. It is a brave professional who 
defines her way out of a job, but Barbara quickly moved on to even 
greater challenges.
  This job title doesn't formally exist at the college district, and 
I'll admit that it's a mouthful, but Barbara Christensen should bear 
the title of ``Chief Land Use Wonk and Go-To-Person With Respect to 
Frogs and Butterflies.'' While guiding the district's various 
developments, she oversaw the creation of four CEQA compliance 
documents, one of which involved the creation of a habitat conservation 
plan for frogs and butterflies. Her leadership in the development of 
apartments for faculty and staff of the district, renting at 50% of 
market rate in the Bay Area's challenging housing market, has thrilled 
employees and concretely demonstrated that the district cares about 
them and their families. The two developments that she shepherded 
through sometimes contentious public hearings earned national 
recognition and have inspired other local agencies to seriously 
consider constructing affordable housing for public employees.
  Barbara Christensen led the effort to establish the relationship 
between the universities and community colleges in San Mateo, and we 
now have four year degree programs taught at Canada College, offering 
this campus' diverse student body, many of them first-generation 
college students, an affordable, convenient option to obtain a four 
year college degree. She secured a $1 million state grant to begin this 
University Center at Canada College.
  As our community colleges flourished, Barbara's contribution to their 
success became even greater. She spearheaded three successful bond 
measures totaling $1 billion. Today, the stunning community college 
campuses of San Mateo County look like every modern and highly 
selective college in the nation.
  The list of Barbara's successes in the community college professional 
decathlon is too long to recite, but her willingness to find ``win-
win'' choices for contentious issues placed her at the center of four 
decades of successful negotiations with local taxing entities, nearby 
homeowners, other districts, and the State of California's personnel. 
She has been recognized professionally by national public information 
officer associations and served on the statewide board of the community 
college public relations professionals.
  Mr. Speaker and members, a college education empowers a student to be 
a better citizen and a stronger participant in our nation's economy. 
Our community colleges are at the center of our nation's college 
system, offering affordable college and technical degrees to millions 
annually.
  Given the importance of our district and the hundreds of thousands 
who have been educated during her service, Barbara Christensen's 
contribution to San Mateo County over four decades will be felt for at 
least another four decades. We celebrate her retirement, wish her well, 
and hope that she can now have more time for friends and family. She 
has sculpted both the educational and physical landscape of San Mateo 
County. There will be big shoes to fill, and a big smile to emulate. 
Her example will inspire others because San Mateo County's residents 
are all the beneficiaries of the career of Barbara Christensen.

                          ____________________