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“IN HONOR OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE DONNA CONGENI FITZSIMMONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1586 on Sept. 21, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN HONOR OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE DONNA CONGENI FITZSIMMONS
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HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Honorable Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons, who is the recipient of Recovery Resources' Community Challenge 2012 Exemplar Award.
Recovery Resources is a community-based nonprofit organization with a mission of helping people triumph over mental illness, alcoholism, drug and other addictions. The Exemplar Award, established in 2006, celebrates members of the local community who have demonstrated a long and distinguished record of exemplary service and support for Recovery Resources' Community Challenge program.
Judge Fitzsimmons graduated with a bachelor's degree from Boston College and earned her law degree from George Washington University in 1976. She began her career in public service in 1977 as an Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor. In 1980, she became the first woman to be appointed as Special Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force in Cleveland. During her tenure as Special Attorney, Judge Fitzsimmons served as the lead prosecutor in the U.S. v. Lonardo, Gallo, et al case, in which she successfully convicted the former Cleveland Mafia boss, Angelo Lonardo in 1983. In 1984, she was appointed Deputy Counsel to President Reagan's commission on Organized Crime in Washington, DC and served in this position until 1985 when she entered private practice at the law firm of Atter & Hadden.
On January 1, 1994, Judge Fitzsimmons assumed the role of Judge of the Rocky River Municipal Court and has been serving on the bench since. In 1997, she was appointed Chair of the Cuyahoga County Violence Against Women Act Committee and as the Municipal Court representative to the Cuyahoga County Criminal Justice Supervisory Services Board. As her career continued, Judge Fitzsimmons would be appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court's Court Security Committee, Criminal Procedure Committee and Jury Service Committee.
In addition to her career, Judge Fitzsimmons is an active member of the Northeast Ohio community. She has served on Fairview Hospital's Community Advisory Board, as a trustee for Community Challenge, charter member of the Fairview High School Alumni Hall of Fame and an honorary chair for the Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence's Annual Break the Silence Luncheon. She also established the Stalking Victim Support Group and was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Throughout her career, Judge Fitzsimmons has been recognized numerous times. She has been named Cleveland's Italian Heritage Committee Public Service Honoree 2011, ``Gem of Cleveland'' by the Junior League of Cleveland, and has received the Columbian Award from the Federation of Italian-American Societies of Northern Ohio. She has also been recognized by the Women's Center of Greater Cleveland.
Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in congratulating Recovery Resources' Community Challenge 2012 Exemplar Award winner, the Honorable Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons.
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