[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12151-12152]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING BURNHAM JOHN ``BUD'' PHILBROOK'S 70TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2016

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Burnham John ``Bud'' 
Philbrook as he celebrates his 70th birthday. As Bud commemorates this 
milestone with his wife Michele and their family, I would like to call 
to attention some of the remarkable work that Bud has done in his 70 
years.
  As newlyweds, Bud and Michele embarked on a honeymoon they would 
later describe as a ``blending of Disney World and the real world''. 
From Florida, Bud and Michele traveled to Guatemala to volunteer in the 
rural village of Conacaste. This experience stayed with Bud and Michele 
and changed the course of their lives,
  This tireless couple went on to found Saint Paul-based Global 
Volunteers. This non-profit

[[Page 12152]]

sends as many as 2,500 volunteers each year to 100 communities in 20 
countries around the world. Bud and Michele understood that for 
programs like theirs to work, change had to come from within the 
developing communities. By building local partnerships, Global 
Volunteers has made strides in agriculture, education, and public 
health care, impacting thousands of lives.
  Before Bud co-founded Global Volunteers, he was already acting as a 
community leader in Minnesota. Bud worked on the campaigns of Senators 
Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern. After law school, Bud represented 
the people of Minnesota in the State Legislature, where he served on 
the education, agriculture, and financial institutions committees. 
Later, he became the Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota 
Department of Natural Resources.
  In 2009, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed Bud as the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture's Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign 
Agricultural Services (FFAS). In this role, Bud coordinated the 
international elements of the FFAS mission. Keeping with his past 
international development work, at the USDA Bud was also able to 
provide food aid as well as technical assistance to foreign countries 
in times of need.
  In his 70 years, Bud has come to exemplify the term ``global 
citizen''. From his leadership at home in Minnesota to the countless 
lives Bud and Michele have improved around the world, Bud represents 
the positive change a person can make in the world. Here is to a happy 
birthday for Bud, and for many more years of family, health, and 
happiness.

                          ____________________