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“TRIBUTE TO DEBBIE WILLIS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1557 on Oct. 28, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DEBBIE WILLIS
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HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON
of idaho
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, this December, the Army Corps of Engineers will see an exceptional employee retire after 32 years of exemplary service to our citizens, communities, agencies and military men and women that the Corps serves.
Debbie Willis lived in Idaho from 1999 to 2009, serving as the Project Manager in charge of the Walla Walla District's Boise office. During that time, she represented the ``First and Best'' door to the Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District. Debbie always provided a
``can-do'' attitude and worked tirelessly with her peers, local citizens, state and federal agencies, and private non-profits, to unlock remarkable solutions to difficult challenges that our communities faced in Idaho. In the words of one Idaho Mayor, she was our ``Superwoman.'' These sentiments are shared by the countless individuals Debbie worked alongside to solve problems during her time at the Corps.
Debbie specialized with issues related to environmental improvements in urban and suburban flood-prone areas. She also worked with local communities to address the critical issues of water and wastewater infrastructure management and actively sought to involve community stakeholders in flood risk reduction and environmental habitat improvements along Idaho's valuable waterways and riparian areas.
In 2005 and 2006 she earned the honor of being selected from the ranks of the Corps of Engineers to serve as a Congressional Fellow and as a member of the staff for the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. On May 24, 2006, Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Dave Hobson recognized Debbie on the floor of the House of Representatives for her invaluable assistance in crafting the Energy and Water appropriations bill for fiscal year 2007.
Throughout her years of service to our country, Debbie served the Corps of Engineers in Georgia, South Carolina, Washington and North Carolina. She holds a Civil Engineering degree from North Carolina State University and has utilized her education and experience to help plan, engineer, and manage the construction of many large and complex military and civil works projects throughout the country and most recently for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg.
As a senior Corps project manager, she provided environmental restoration support to the Department of Energy at two of the Nation's largest nuclear facilities, the Hanford and Savannah River sites. Debbie also found time to use her expertise in a volunteer capacity by helping local communities in the southern U.S. assess and recover from damages caused by natural disasters. She traveled across the country and overseas, teaching management fundamentals and skills to Corps' employees and continues to be a mentor to many within the agency.
Debbie's last assignment has been as a Senior Project Manager for the Wilmington District, Corps of Engineers. Within that capacity, she has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and dedication supporting our service men and women at Fort Bragg. Over the past several years she has successfully managed the design and construction for both the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the Security Operations Training Facility (SOTF) at that base.
Debbie's hard work and dedication to duty is a proud reflection of the Corp of Engineers and her support for our nation's military. Her performance awards serve as a testament to more than three decades of exceptional service and selfless dedication to this country. I congratulate Debbie Willis on her retirement and wish her and her husband Brayton well in future endeavors.
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