[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8082]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING DIRECTOR ELIZABETH JOYCE FREEMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Congressman McNerney and 
Congressman Swalwell to acknowledge and honor Director Elizabeth Joyce 
Freeman for her many years of service to the Palo Alto Veteran Affairs 
health care system. Director Freeman has worked nobly in serving 
veterans since 1983, and after 33 years of honorable service to the VA 
she has announced her retirement on June 7, 2016.
  Graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1983, Ms. Freeman 
obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. She 
returned to school in 1987 at Louisiana Tech University where she 
graduated with her Master's Degree in Business Administration.
  In 1983, Ms. Freeman began her extensive career with the VA as a 
Resident Engineer at the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City. She moved 
up the ranks quickly and became the Senior Resident Engineer in 
Oklahoma City and later moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Other positions 
she held with the VA include the following: Project Manager of the VA 
Central Office Southern Region; Health System Administrator Trainee of 
the VA Palo Alto Health Care System; Chief Operating Officer of the VA 
Sierra Pacific Network Office in San Francisco, California; Associate 
Director of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System; and Director of the VA 
Palo Alto Health Care System.
  In 2001, Ms. Freeman was appointed to Director of the VA Palo Alto 
Health Care System, and since then has efficiently and successfully 
overseen the complex organization. In her capacity as Director she is 
tasked with overseeing an annual budget of over $1 billion, a capital 
portfolio of $2.6 billion, and more than 7,000 staff and volunteers.
  In addition to Ms. Freeman's numerous professional achievements, we 
would like to highlight some of the work that Ms. Freeman did outside 
the VA Office. She served on many boards and committees, such as the 
Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research and the Quality Board, 
Patient Care, and Patient Experience Committee of the El Camino 
Hospital Board. She was a member of the California Hospital 
Association's Santa Clara County Section, and served on the Board of 
Directors for the Hospital Council in 2006. She should be commended for 
her outstanding involvement in the community.
  The abundance of awards Ms. Freeman has received demonstrates her 
exceptional leadership and proven work ethic. Ms. Freeman received the 
Presidential Rank Award at the meritorious level in 2005 and the 
distinguished level in 2009, she was a recipient of the Leadership VA 
Senior Executive Leadership Award, she received the VA Alumni 
Association's Honorary Leadership Award in 2005, and was named one of 
the top 100 influential women in Silicon Valley.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring and recognizing Director 
Elizabeth Freeman's leadership that brought invaluable institutional 
knowledge to the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. We thank her for her 
unwavering leadership, devoted service and contributions on behalf of 
the community and the Nation.

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