Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we could not have accomplished any of these achievements without an incredible dedicated staff to the mission of the Helsinki Commission, and I want to just acknowledge one individual who recently announced that she is retiring, Erika Schlager, after 34 years of service to the Commission and to the global community. Erika received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her A.M. degree from Harvard University in Soviet Union studies and her juris doctor degree with honors from the George Washington University Law School. She studied at Warsaw University as a Fulbright fellow and received a diploma from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Quite a record. She used that academic preparation to make a difference in the world--and what a difference she made. Erika has been an unfailing professional in her dedication to doing whatever is necessary to ensure that the Commission meets its mandate and defends human rights abroad. Her deep expertise, which she has honed over decades of work, is renowned both among policy professionals in the United States and in the countries of Central Europe that she followed for the Commission. Erika is one of our Nation's top experts on Europe's most vulnerable communities.…”