May 22, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 97 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO MARK PETTITT FOR HIS SERVICE TO AMERICA

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. MO BROOKS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 22, 2020

  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, after ably and honorably 
serving as my chief of staff for more than 9 years, Mark Pettitt will 
retire in June. Mark has provided exceptional leadership, and I've 
greatly benefited from having him as my chief advisor. I will miss his 
sound and candid guidance.
  When asked how he came to be my chief of staff, Mark will often 
reply, ``I complained about politics too many times to an old friend.'' 
That is only partly true. Really, it was Mark's deeply ingrained sense 
of patriotism that led him to Capitol Hill.
  Mark's tenure as chief of staff caps an already exemplary career as a 
successful private sector engineer. For Mark, there are few more 
patriotic acts than simply working hard and contributing each day to 
America's economic and industrial prowess.
  Mark worked hard throughout his career. He earned both his masters 
and undergraduate degrees in engineering from Brigham Young University. 
He served as an R&D Engineer and Project Manager at Wylie Laboratories 
in Huntsville, Alabama from 1978-1989. While at Wylie, Mark earned his 
Professional Engineer license. He went on to work as an Executive 
Consultant and Product Manager for Intergraph Corporation from 1989-
2010. As an aside, Mark is a 10th degree Jiu Jitsu black belt.
  Given his private sector background, Mark offers a unique perspective 
on federal policy issues. Always one to put America first, Mark has 
been particularly active in addressing America's trade imbalances and 
has long advocated for trade policies that benefit American workers.
  As Mark's career concludes, I cannot thank him enough for the value 
he provided me, the Tennessee Valley, and America. I wish Mark joy and 
contentment as he embarks on this next phase of life. He is looking 
forward to enjoying well-deserved time with his wife, Diane, five 
children--John, Jared, Ben, Nichole, and Joseph--and 12 grandchildren! 
Mark has earned every bit of that family time.
  America is a stronger, more prosperous nation thanks to Mark's 
exemplary career.

                          ____________________