congressional_record: CREC-2024-12-20-pt1-PgS7318-4
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2024-12-20-pt1-PgS7318-4 | 2024-12-20 | 118 | 2 | 170 | TRIBUTE TO SARAH BENEDICT ANSTAETT | SENATE | SENATE | TRIBUTETO | S7318 | S7319 | [{"name": "Tammy Baldwin", "role": "speaking"}] | 170 Cong. Rec. S7318 | Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 190 (Friday, December 20, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 190 (Friday, December 20, 2024)] [Senate] [Pages S7318-S7319] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO SARAH BENEDICT ANSTAETT Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate and honor the service of Sarah Benedict Anstaett, my State director. Soon, Sarah will retire from the U.S. Senate after a lengthy career serving the people of Wisconsin and our Nation. Sarah's steadfast dedication to constituent services has set a high standard for our office that will have a lasting impact. With over 25 years of Federal experience, Sarah's mentorship and willingness to pass on her wealth of knowledge to junior staffers is not only a testament to her rare style of leadership, but to her belief in the importance of quality public service. Sarah holds a BA in psychology and a masters in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, making her exceptionally well qualified to handle any constituent service concern. [[Page S7319]] Under Sarah's guidance, my office has assisted thousands of Wisconsinites and their families who were confronted with urgent and often very serious challenges. Sarah joined our Madison area House of Representatives staff as a caseworker. Constituents coming to our office with concerns were met with Sarah's capable and calm approach to problem solving. She was incredibly effective in addressing all manner of issues and quickly became an indispensable part of the team. She traveled throughout our district, meeting constituents where they were--especially our seniors--in places that allowed them to interact directly with the Federal Government. During this time, Sarah and her husband Dave welcomed two children, which spurred our office to embrace family- forward work policies and practices. When I took my seat in the Senate, I was delighted that Sarah chose to continue with our team. In my Senate office, Sarah became our director of constituent services, working with a team to address Federal issues from constituents around the State. She developed effective processes and guides for our caseworkers, shared her wealth of experience and best practices, and was always ready to step in and help on the trickiest and stickiest of concerns. She also created one of our favorite reports: a weekly roundup of casework successes, concerns and trends. Each week, the report of Sarah and her team's exceptional work was filled with stories ranging from expeditious replacement of lost passports to saving small businesses that were facing existential challenges with Federal Agencies. In 2021, Sarah assumed the role of my State director, overseeing and guiding our outstanding team of outreach staff, caseworkers, and other support staff. Her leadership in this new role was pragmatic, focused, and inclusive. She kept our priorities at the forefront and guided staff to make the best decisions. In her new role, Sarah immediately hit the ground running and refined and established new processes for our outreach team, in-state scheduling and travel, and continued to support our casework team. My staff often reported to me that she managed to do the impossible: make their jobs less stressful. As State director, Sarah set high standards for our staff, inspiring and bringing out the best in each of them. She led by example and demonstrated the importance and value of having women in senior leadership roles. She traveled the State both with and without me, continually developing and cultivating important relationships with constituents and organizations throughout Wisconsin. She has been a constant presence at events around the State and always actively pursued opportunities to strengthen ties between our office and the communities we serve. My staff and I will miss the kindness, humility, good humor, and grace that she brings each day to our team. Outside of the office, Sarah's an avid traveler and explorer, with a wide group of friends and interests. I am sure that her retirement will bring her more opportunities to travel with her husband Dave and their children Henry and Ursula. Sarah, thank you for your service to the people of Wisconsin and to our Nation. ____________________ |