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“TRIBUTE TO JO ANNE GOODNIGHT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S190-S191 on Jan. 25, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO JO ANNE GOODNIGHT
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I recognize Jo Anne Goodnight, an extraordinary member of my staff who will shortly be leaving the Hill to return to her position as division of special programs director and SBIR/STTR program manager at the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Jo Anne has brought tremendous enthusiasm, insight, and expertise to her position as a detailee for the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and I am sad to see her leave.
Jo Anne joined my committee staff in June 2009 to help me shepherd the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs through the Senate. These critical initiatives help move innovative ideas from mind to marketplace, and there is probably no one who understands the details of these programs better than Jo Anne. A recognized expert in her field, she began her present position at NIH in 1999, where she manages and coordinates the SBIR and STTR programs for the Department of Health and Human Services' public health agencies, such as NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In her capacity as program manager, Jo Anne has appeared as a witness before many congressional committees, which is why I had the utmost confidence that she would hit the ground running upon her arrival at the committee--and she did!
From her first moment here, Jo Anne established a reputation as a hardworking, intelligent, and dedicated staff member. She dedicated countless hours preparing me to work towards a consensus to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs with my colleagues, and she was a vocal leader at staff-driven meetings. She had no shortage of ideas on how best to advance our interests, and was open and honest about the best approach to take in forging a compromise. While our work is not complete regarding a long-term reauthorization of these initiatives, Jo Anne has laid a tremendous foundation for our future negotiations.
As time went on, Jo Anne demonstrated a strong capacity for developing new ideas, and she began aiding me with other issue areas, such as innovation and technology. Her assistance was essential in helping to move a critical bill I introduced with Senator Mark Pryor on science parks through the Commerce Committee. Additionally, Jo Anne helped me add language to the bill encouraging the development of science and research parks on bases closed by the Base Realignment and Closure process. I am hopeful that this language, if passed by the full Senate, will help communities like Brunswick, ME, redevelop quickly.
Jo Anne has had a remarkable career in and out of government. In addition to her most recent service at NIH, she worked for several years at the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, as its SBIR/STTR program coordinator and the special assistant to the director of the division of cancer biology. She also has extensive research experience at the NIH, the FDA, the University of Southern California, and, as an undergraduate cooperative education student from Virginia Tech, at the Department of Agriculture's Animal Parasitology Institute in Maryland.
Throughout her lengthy career, Jo Anne has been the recipient of numerous awards, including three NIH Director's Awards and five more NIH Merit Awards for dedication, initiative, and exemplary contributions to various projects. Jo Anne has also won the 1996 Outstanding Performance Award from the NCI's division of cancer biology, and the 2007 Federal Executive Institute's Certificate of Achievement.
What is most striking about Jo Anne--aside from her remarkable intelligence and passion for her work--is her easygoing and humorous nature. A true joke teller, Jo Anne loves to laugh and make others laugh with her. She is a kind and generous person who is constantly willing to help her coworkers in any way possible. Jo Anne always has a smile on her face, and her upbeat personality makes her a pleasure to work with.
Additionally, Jo Anne and her husband Will have a home in Lamoine, a small coastal town near Maine's beautiful Acadia National Park. They find themselves driving to Maine at least once a month, and Jo Anne hopes to relocate there in the coming years. It is wonderful talking with her about all of the great and unique places to visit in the area, and I am thrilled that she has fallen so deeply in love with my home State.
Jo Anne also enjoys spending time with her colleagues off the Hill. In October, she organized an office chili cook-off, where members of my staff brought pots of their homemade chili to Jo Anne's home. There, they enjoyed a wonderful afternoon dedicated to getting to know one another better while consuming numerous varieties of chili. Jo Anne was a gracious hostess, and everyone greatly enjoyed the experience.
I am honored to have had someone as talented and passionate as Jo Anne Goodnight on my staff. Jo Anne brings a visible sense of dedication and professionalism to the job every day, and her commendable work ethic and incredible creativity are sources of pride. I wish Jo Anne and her family the best of luck as she transitions back to the NIH, and look forward to seeing her in Maine.
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