The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DENA BARON
______
HON. KAY GRANGER
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 16, 2021
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dena Baron, a long-time member of the professional staff of the House Appropriations Committee, who is retiring after more than 25 years of service in the Federal Government.
Dena began her career at the Environmental Protection Agency in 1995. While a budget analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, she was detailed to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development.
Following her detail, in 1999, Dena became professional staff for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development. In 2004, she moved to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Treasury until the House Appropriations Committee reorganized in the 109th Congress. Following the reorganization, Dena became Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and the District of Columbia.
When the House of Representatives switched control in 2007, and the House Appropriations Committee underwent another reorganization setting the subcommittees to their current form, Dena became Minority Clerk for the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee. Continuing her trend of versatility, Dena simultaneously worked on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Financial Services and General Government subcommittees.
When the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress, Dena became Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and then in 2017, she became Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
When the House of Representatives switched control in 2019, as only fitting, Dena ventured into uncharted territory and became Minority Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. This opportunity presented a range of new challenges, and she, once again, demonstrated her ability to handle any task put before her and performed remarkably.
Dena was an exceptional member of the Appropriations Committee staff for more than twenty years, and she served on my staff for three of those years. I asked Dena to work on some of the most divisive issues of the day, and she saw us through one of the longest government shutdowns in history two years ago by finding common ground with her colleagues.
Dena has spent many hours away from her loved ones over the course of her long Federal career, and I know she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, Jim Smith, her son, Andrew, and her daughter, Emily. Dena will be greatly missed, and I wish her the best in her next chapter and thank her for her dedicated service to the United States.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 125
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