The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE CAREER OF NANCY COWSER
______
HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 16, 2021
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and celebrate another chapter of the remarkable career of local business leader, community role model, and true friend to my office, Nancy Cowser. A long-established pillar within the social services and economic development sectors in the eastern Connecticut community, Nancy will now take her wisdom and experiences to the world of academia as the chief advancement and alumni relations officer for Mitchell College. I cannot think of a better hire for one of our top local colleges than Nancy, as she truly represents the best and brightest in business leadership and community partnership in Connecticut.
Having received an undergraduate degree in finance from Boston College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Nancy began her career in the banking industry as a mortgage auditor and exceled with her natural leadership and organizational skills. However, Nancy eventually found herself drawn to social services, which led her to United Community and Family Services (UCFS) in Norwich. As the senior vice president of strategy, Nancy worked tirelessly to ensure that constituents across eastern Connecticut had access to services such as healthcare and mental and substance abuse treatment to ensure each individual could experience a better quality of life.
It was during her tenure with UCFS that my office had the first opportunity to work with Nancy. I believe one of the major highlights from both of our careers is when UCFS finally received designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2015, after attempting to do so for eight long years. This critical designation enabled UCFS to receive significant federal funding and in turn allowed UCFS to enhance their primary care services and offer specialty care services, and Nancy was an essential part of this impactful achievement.
Nancy is someone who knows that true community development happens when partnerships are developed and organizations work together to meet a common goal. In her work, Nancy became known as a master networker and someone who brought everyone to the table regardless of background or politics. Nancy's reputation and skillset brought her enormous respect and admiration from community coalitions and armed her with tools needed to take the helm of the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region (seCTer) in 2016.
Nancy hit the ground running as seCTer's executive director. Due to her years of collaboration with community partners, Nancy knew the lay of the land and quickly got to work solidifying relationships and creating pipelines to bring economic stakeholders together. Bolstered by a series of successes within the seCTer loan program, PTAC, and the CEDS' 2017 recognition by the National Association of Development Organizations as a national best practice model, Nancy aided one of the district's largest employers, General Dynamic Electric Boat, in developing an extensive pipeline of subcontractors to fuel the top submarine production force in our nation. In 2019, with Nancy leading the way, seCTer organized our region's largest business networking event, ``Leading the Way'', to connect General Dynamic procurement personnel with potential suppliers from across Connecticut and throughout New England. The tremendous success of this event exemplified Nancy's ability to bring a multitude of diverse companies under one roof to create new business opportunities and relationships that continue to flourish to this day.
However, we must not forget, our region's defense industry is only one of many sectors that Nancy took under her tutelage to grow. From breweries to manufacturers, and even local gyms--Nancy was always a phone call away to help guide any business in driving its potential for growth. It was this niche ability to work with so many diverse companies and understand each of their needs that makes Nancy such a pivotal business leader in our district. With Nancy's departure from seCTer, we see the before and after of her time at the organization, and know that her impact that will continue to propel seCTer forward for years to come.
Madam Speaker, I am truly proud to call Nancy a colleague and most importantly a friend. I have witnessed first-hand her professional growth and her ability to spur significant economic growth within the 2nd district. Now taking her talents to Mitchell College, our paths will continue to cross as we tackle the issues facing the academic sector. One cannot really quantify the influence Nancy has had on our region, from her work at UCFS to seCTer, but I know that she has moved mountains for our communities, and her trajectory of success will only continue upward.
I ask everyone in the Chamber to please rise and applaud Nancy for her outstanding career and thank her for all that she has done to help Connecticut businesses and residents. Nancy is a true pillar of Connecticut. We wish her continued happiness and success.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 125
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