May 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 89 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E680-E681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             JENNY FORREST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 28, 2019

  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate Jenny 
Forrest, who will be attending Columbia University in New York 
beginning this August to earn her Master of Business Administration. 
Jenny has been an invaluable member of Team Walden for more than three 
years.
  Starting as an intern in my Washington, D.C. office, Jenny rose to 
staff assistant, for a moment, before rapidly rising to the role of 
scheduler, all without skipping a beat, even as she learned that she 
would soon be scheduling for a committee chairman.
  Anyone who is familiar with the inner workings of Capitol Hill--
whether you're a member of Congress, a staffer, reporter, or advocate--
knows that the title ``scheduler'' simply does not capture the sheer 
importance and scope of the role.
  Schedulers are the gatekeepers of time, a precious and finite 
resource on the Hill for any Congressional office, but especially for 
Team Walden and especially for the Energy and Commerce Committee. 
Schedulers are constantly asked to ``hold,'' ``make,'' and ``find'' 
time for people with competing interests and either ignorance or 
disregard for the fragile house of cards that is a congressional 
calendar.
  One would expect and understand schedulers to be short-tempered, 
overwhelmed, and perhaps even difficult to work with; but anyone who 
had the pleasure of interacting with Jenny knows nothing could be 
further from the truth.
  If you walked into 2185 Rayburn House Office Building for the last 
couple of years, you were always treated warmly with a smile from 
Jenny. She was the face of the office at the front desk, and thankfully 
so.
  If you ever reached out to Jenny to request time for a meeting, an 
interview, or a speech, you were always treated with fairness, honesty, 
and a kind directness. If there was no time to be made, held, or found, 
there would be no mistake about it if you were talking to Jenny.
  And if you were an Oregonian visiting for business or pleasure--
especially from Oregon's Second District--Jenny went out of her way to 
make sure you felt at home on the Hill and was ready, at the drop of a 
hat, to be your tour guide, restaurant recommender, or trip advisor in 
the nation's capital. Jenny respected and understood well that she, 
along

[[Page E681]]

with our entire team, works first and foremost for the people of the 
Second District.
  Most importantly, Jenny was a team player. Anyone on Team Walden will 
tell you that if you needed a hand with anything--a meeting memo, 
Congressional Record, or folded American flag--Jenny was there to jump 
in, even if it had nothing to do with the schedule. She patiently 
coordinated our intern program, facilitated thousand-person town hall 
meetings, and wrote excellent letters of support for grants that 
brought needed resources to Oregon's communities.
  Jenny will be missed but will always be a part of Team Walden. My 
colleagues, please join me in thanking Jenny Forrest for her service to 
this House and to the people of Oregon's Second Congressional District. 
We wish her the best at Columbia University, and know that her future 
will be a bright one.

                          ____________________