The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING MARY JO PASEK FOR HER SERVICE TO BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE AND THE
KERN COUNTY COMMUNITY
______
HON. KEVIN McCARTHY
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, December 20, 2021
Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary Jo Pasek, a talented and service-oriented community leader who has dedicated herself to improving the work of countless students and the Kern County community throughout her career, on her retirement from Bakersfield College.
Mary Jo arrived in Bakersfield, California by way of Minnesota--
following her graduation from the College of St. Scholastica--and worked in the booming Kern County oil and natural gas industry before joining Calcot Limited, a cotton grower and marketing cooperative, where she would work for over 25 years. In a testament to her leadership skills and drive, Mary Jo went on to become the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at Calcot. While in this role, Mary Jo oversaw the employee benefits program, developed a computer literacy program for the Calcot workforce, and managed the Calcot-Seitz Foundation Scholarship Program, which awards annual scholarships to promising students pursuing careers in agriculture.
Following her passion for helping students succeed, Mary Jo began a new chapter in her career in 2007 when she joined Bakersfield College--
part of the Kern Community College District (KCCD)--and its team of devoted educators, who have committed themselves to advancing the KCCD's mission of creating lifelong learners. In her role as the Community Relations, Scheduling, and Events Manager at Bakersfield College, Mary Jo oversaw a number of departments, including the Human Resources and Event Management divisions. She enhanced personnel training and professional development programs, developed relationships between the school and broader community, and raised needed funds for the Bakersfield College Foundation and Athletic Department--positioning Bakersfield College to continue to offer quality programming for students and faculty for years to come.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of participating in many of the events that Mary Jo coordinated at Bakersfield College. From hosting my office and the Library of Congress on Bakersfield College's campus to conduct Veterans History Project interviews to playing an integral role in the highly successful 2014 Kern Agriculture Summit that I joined to discuss important issues facing Central Valley farmers, Mary Jo has always been uniquely capable of bringing together diverse stakeholders with the shared goal of bettering and giving back to the Kern County community.
In addition to serving others through her work at Bakersfield College, Mary Jo has extensive volunteer experience, having worked on behalf of Kern County veterans and several community groups, including the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary, United Way of Kern County, and the American Cancer Society. She has received well-earned recognition for her accomplishments over the years, including the District Rotary Rotarian of the Year, Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Volunteer of the Year, and Bernice Harrel Chipman Bakersfield Woman of the Year awards for her tireless work.
While Mary Jo will no longer be with Bakersfield College, I am confident she will continue to be a strong role model for others and an enthusiastic leader in the community. On behalf of the 23rd Congressional District of California, I wish Mary Jo and her husband, Tom, all the best as they enter this new chapter in their lives.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 219
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