October 31, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 173 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                OUTSTANDING SERVICE OF MS. BRENDA JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 31, 2019

  Mr. LEWIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Brenda Jones, 
who served as my communications director for over 15 years.
  Ms. Jones came with a strong recommendation from my special assistant 
and had a resume and perspective that was unique to the United States 
House of Representatives. From the very first moment we met, I realized 
how fortunate I was to find Brenda.
  Brenda Jones is a proud, native Washingtonian with a passion for 
social justice, history, and the arts. She studied the Civil Rights 
Movement, understood the challenges we faced, and dedicated her life to 
the work that remains. This vantage point provided a unique perspective 
and comprehension of the complicated matters facing my congressional 
district in Metro Atlanta and my work here in the United States 
Congress.
  Before coming to Capitol Hill, Ms. Jones worked in media as a 
researcher for ABC News' Washington, D.C. Bureau, a writer and 
assistant editor at WTOP-AM News Radio, and a radio specialist of 
international activities for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 
She later transitioned to public relations where she honed her skills 
in developing media strategies, coordinating national book tours for 
civil and women rights luminaries, and launching public education 
campaigns.
  One of the things that I most appreciate about Brenda is her constant 
commitment to education--whether in life or academia. I believe that 
her centenarian father, Mr. Robert L. Davis and her late mother, Mrs. 
Myrtle Mac (Bowers) Davis, planted these seeds of excellence, and in 
Brenda they bloomed. As a graduate of National Cathedral School, 
Indiana University Bloomington, and Columbia University's Graduate 
School of Journalism, Brenda returned to Harvard University to earn 
another master's degree in Public Administration, where she received 
the Gertrude Manley Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding 
leadership skills.
  Ms. Jones invested her astute expertise and intellectualism in the 
United States House of Representatives. She brought life to her vision 
and took the role of communications director to new heights as she 
funneled depth and dignity into her work. Those, who know me, 
understand that I have a clear style--make it simple, make it plain. 
When Brenda joined my office, she made my words sing--in press 
releases, interviews, on the House Floor, in book forwards, in op-eds, 
and in speeches across the country and around the world.
  Madam Speaker, Brenda quickly became the conscience of my office. For 
15 years, she humbly and selflessly worked day in and day out to 
channel every ounce of her knowledge and experience into creating new 
methods of communicating and mastering unchartered territory. Ms. Jones 
created a national and international strategy to tell the story of my 
work in the Civil Rights Movement, as a Member of Congress, as a 
representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District, and as a 
legislator, who found a way to get in the way--and get things done.
  Since she consistently refuses to step into the limelight, I was 
particularly proud when the public, her peers, and colleagues began to 
pay tribute to this dynamic woman. In 2010, Brenda earned the 
prestigious Theodore C. Sorenson Speechwriting Award. In 2012, we 
worked together on a book, Across that Bridge: Life Lessons and a 
Vision for Change, and we won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding 
Literary Work/Biography for her work in translating the philosophy and 
doctrines that inspired the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement 
into advice for a new generation. A few years later, the National 
Journal honored Ms. Jones as one of the 20 Most Powerful Women on 
Capitol Hill in 2015, and the Stennis Center for Public Leadership 
selected her as a senior fellow in the 114th, Congress.
  Somehow Brenda always found time to mentor aspiring professionals and 
build networks of kindred souls. In 2013, she founded the Capitol Hill 
Writers Workshop to develop the skills and art of professionals in a 
communal space. Brenda also served her communities--whether as a 
commissioner on the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C., in advisory 
capacities for the Sustained Dialogue, Inc. and the John C. Stennis 
Center for Public Service, or on the Committee of Visitors for Harvard 
University's Kennedy School of Government. She also shared her 
expertise with the Democratic National Committee for national 
conventions and our former colleague's, Rep. John Barrow, inaugural 
campaign. For years, this steady stream of colleagues, mentees, and 
people with whom she connected across the country and around the world 
became a permanent part of Brenda's extended circle.
  In this day and time when Congress can feel more transactional than 
communal, Brenda was the nucleus of the Team Lewis family. Shortly 
before joining my office, Brenda lost her beloved husband Dr. Martin 
Wilson Jones, M.D., and I often felt that she took care of us with the 
selfless passion and dedication that he showed her. If you were feeling 
down and out, we could always trust that Brenda has natural teas, 
organic tips, and an astrological analysis to soothe your mind, body, 
and soul. She was often a comfort and confidante during our darkest 
days and hours.
  For 15 years, Ms. Jones fiercely and unequivocally advocated for me, 
my constituents, and my work in Congress. It was an honor to know that 
I had this trusted senior advisor and seasoned communications 
professional in my corner. Although I will miss having Ms. Brenda Jones 
by my side, I wish her happiness as she transitions to exciting new 
opportunities and inevitable success.

                          ____________________