Ed Perlmutter

Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the public service of my Chief of Staff, Danielle Radovich Piper.

Danielle has served as my trusted adviser for more than two decades. She managed my first campaign for Congress in 2006 out of a former veterinarian's office in Golden and has been by my side ever since as my Chief of Staff. Together, we've served Colorado's 7th Congressional District for the last 16 years. Danielle expertly managed our team of dedicated public servants. She ensured a dual focus for our office on advancing legislation which would benefit the hard-working people of Colorado while simultaneously providing excellent constituent services. Danielle is a brilliant strategist and communicator. This has served us well during difficult times including natural disasters and devastating crises in our community. She is highly respected by her peers in both Colorado and Washington, D.C.

Danielle graduated from Colorado State University with a major in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. Before serving as my Chief of Staff, Danielle was Chief of Staff for the Senate Majority in the Colorado General Assembly. She has been appointed to several state- level entities, including the Supreme Court Nominating Commission and the Census Outreach Grant Committee.

Danielle has done this all while raising two boys, Aiden who attends Golden High School and Liam who attends Manning Middle School, with her husband Chris. Danielle is a tremendous role model with a strong moral compass who checks every line of the Code of the West, especially ``Always finish what you start,'' ``Know where to draw the line,'' ``Be tough, but fair,'' and ``When you make a promise, keep it.'' Danielle's leadership and commitment to our community is remarkable and it is impossible to count the ways her work has impacted the State of Colorado. I am proud to see Danielle continue her public service next year at my alma mater, the University of Colorado, as the Senior Vice President for External Relations and Strategy.

On behalf of our friends, neighbors, and constituents from Colorado's 7th Congressional District and the entire Congress, I want to express sincere appreciation for the career and public service of my colleague and friend, Danielle Radovich Piper.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Phil Nelson for his decades of service to the Citizens' Climate Lobby and to the State of Colorado.

Phil Nelson has been active in the environmental community for most of his life. In 1958, he started his education at MIT and received his B.S. in 1962 and Ph.D. in 1967; both in geophysics. After graduating from MIT, Phil worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1977-1982) as well as the Sohio Petroleum, BP and Book Writing (1982- 1987) before finishing his career at the United States Geological Survey (1988-2014). Phil retired in 2014 and continued his passion for environmental issues through volunteer work.

In 2014, he joined the Citizens' for Climate Lobby (CCL) in Golden, Colorado where he served as chair until 2022. This group meets regularly with local, state and federal leaders

and staff members to advocate for and discuss environmental concerns and issues. Through his work, Phil has attended regional and national meetings, lobbied in Washington D.C., and raised awareness of the threat of climate change by making presentations to civic groups and providing information at public events. Phil and members of his CCL chapter have also been active in writing letters to the editor which have appeared in various Colorado news outlets and worked to obtain signatures for petitions, written public comment, and garnered support for various issues across the state. Throughout his time at CCL, Phil's hard work and dedication has proven to be a tremendous asset to the environmental community in Colorado.

I extend my deepest appreciation for Phil Nelson and his service and dedication to our community and the State of Colorado.