Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1508599
PalletCentral • September-October 2023 11 Hallie Fuchs is manager, public affairs. She also helps manage the NWPCA Political Action Committee for the Association. She may be reached at hfuchs@palletcentral.com or by calling 703.519.6104. NWPCA Staff President/CEO Brent J. McClendon, CAE, brent@palletcentral.com Senior Director, Business Partnerships Mark A. Barford, CAE, mbarford@palletcentral.com Directora Senior, México y LATAM Hilary R. Carr, PhD, hcarr@palletcentral.com PDS and Membership Services Manager Susan Cheney, scheney@palletcentral.com PDS Principal Engineer & Strategic Business Advisor Kristen DeLack PE, kdelack@palletcentral.com Vice President, Communications Annette Ferri, aferri@palletcentral.com Manager, Public Affairs Hallie Fuchs, hfuchs@palletcentral.com Vice President, Science & Technology Brad Gething, PhD, bgething@palletcentral.com Vice President, Public Affairs Jason Ortega, jortega@palletcentral.com PDS Software Engineer Kevin Richey, krichey@palletcentral.com PDS Associate Software Engineer George Scharps, gscharps@palletcentral.com Vice President, Operations and Events Isabel ("Mimi") Sullivan, msullivan@palletcentral.com PalletCentral Editorial, Design & Production Caryn Smith, Driven By Design LLC palletdesign@comcast.net PALLETCENTRAL, Volume 23, Number 5. PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL WOODEN PALLET & CONTAINER ASSOCIATION Advertising: To advertise in PalletCentral, contact Mark Barford at 703-519-0186 or mbarford@palletcentral.com. Address changes and subscriptions: To update your mailing address or to subscribe to PalletCentral, email info@palletcentral.com. ©2023 NWPCA. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all articles, editorials and advertisements appearing in PalletCentral are solely those of the author and advertiser, respectively, and do not necessarily represent the views of NWPCA. Get to Know Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) How did Rep. Brownley start her career in politics? Congresswoman Julia Brownley began her career in public service in 1994 after deciding to run for the local school board to advocate for a better education for her daughter, who had dyslexia, and other special-needs students. What committees does she serve? When the Congresswoman was first elected to the House, she requested to serve on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she works closely with Ventura County's veterans' community and Naval Base Ventura County. She also sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Brownley has been a steadfast champion of the Port of Hueneme. What achievements has she accomplished during her time in office? Most recently, during the 117th Congressional session, Brownley introduced 54 bills, five of which became law. She also introduced three resolutions, $26.9 million earmarks requested in the 2021 omnibus spending bill, and maintained a legislative effectiveness score of 3.35 (the average among House Democrats was 1.40.) Previously, one of her signature achievements was passing her Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act in 2016, which would require the VA to collect data on women veterans to identify best practices, programs, and services to end female veteran suicide. Brownley also secured passage of the Deborah Sampson Act, the most comprehensive legislation for women veterans in a decade. The bill, which was signed into law in January 2021, will help address the inequities and barriers that women veterans face when accessing VA care and benefits. and environmentally responsible packaging solutions, wooden pallets play an important role. ey are reusable, repairable, and can be used for many byproducts when they reach the end of their life. Congresswoman Brownley, a key player on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a member of the former House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, recognizes the dual role wooden pallets play in our economy and sustainability journey. During her visit, Brownley demonstrated her deep understanding of these issues. She sat down for a conversation with the Oxnard Pallet Company team and NWPCA's Vice President of Public Affairs, Jason Ortega. Brownley also recognized Beatrice and Elias Vasquez, CFO and CEO, respectively, of Oxnard Pallet Company, for the considerable roles they play in the wood pallet industry and their advocacy for NWPCA and other pallet organizations, including the Western Pallet Association. e Vasquezes welcomed the opportunity to discuss with Brownley the importance of the wood pallet industry and the challenges small business owners face. Congresswoman Julia Brownley's visit to Oxnard Pallet Company was more than a routine engagement with constituents. It was a powerful statement of the values she has championed throughout her time in office: a steadfast commitment to local businesses, a deep understanding of the intricacies of our supply chains, and a strong belief in the importance of sustainability.