GRP BIOS AND PHOTOS FINAL.pdf

Congresswoman   Eleanor   Holmes   Norton,   now   in   her   twellh   term   as   the  
Congresswoman   for   the   District   of   Columbia,   came   to   Congress   as   a   na+onal  
figure   who   had   been   a   civil   rights   and   feminist   leader,   tenured   professor   of   law,  
and   board   member   at   three   Fortune   500   companies.   Named   one   of   the   100  
most   important   American   women   in   Washington,   the   Congresswoman's   work  
for  congressional  vo+ng  representa+on  and  for  full  democracy  for  the  people  of  
the  D.C.  con+nues  her  lifelong  struggle  for  universal  human  and  civil  rights.  
Congresswoman  Norton's  accomplishments  for  her  district  include  establishing  
economic  benefits  like  a  $10,000  per  year  credit  for  all  D.C.  high  school  graduates  to  aWend  any  U.S.  college  
or  university;  a  $5,000  D.C.  homebuyer  tax  credit  which  increased  home  ownership  and  helped  stabilize  the  
city's  popula+on;  and  D.C.  business  tax  incen+ves.  
Congresswoman   Norton   worked   successfully   to   relocate   two   U.S.   Department   headquarters   to   D.C.;   to  
develop   the   55-­‐acre   Southeast   Federal   Center;   to   bring   6,000   jobs   to   the   Washington   Navy   Yard;   and   to  
build  a  new  Metro  sta+on  at  New  York  Avenue  helping  revitalize  the  NOMA  area.  
A   full-­‐+me   law   professor   before   being   elected,   the   Congresswoman   is   a   tenured   professor   of   law   at  
Georgetown   University.   Aler   receiving   her   bachelor's   degree   from   An+och   College   in   Ohio,   she  
simultaneously  earned  her  law  degree  and  a  master's  degree  in  American  Studies  from  Yale  University.  
 
Execu+ve   Director   of   the   U.S.   Botanic   Garden   (USBG)   Dr.   Ari   Novy   promotes   the  
cultural,   economic,   therapeu+c,   and   ecological   importance   of   plants   to   the   well  
being   of   humankind.   He   oversees   a   staff   of   65   that   stewards   USBG   plant   collec+ons  
and   facilitates   visitor   services   and   educa+on.   Dr.   Novy   champions   innova+ve  
partnerships   like   the   highly   regarded   Landscape   for   Life   and   Sustainable   SITES  
programs  that  seek  to  make  plant  science  relevant  and  accessible  to  everyone,  and  
a   Kennedy   Center   program   to   develop   botanically-­‐themed   educa+onal   theater   for  
young  audiences.  
Dr.  Novy  is  a  plant  biologist  who  worked  as  an  estate  gardener  in  Italy,  researched  
sustainable  agriculture  in  the  Philippines,  and  served  as  an  environmental  consultant  in  the  United  States.  In  
2006,   Dr.   Novy   began   research   in   areas   including   plant   popula+on   gene+cs,   invasive   species,   beekeeping  
management,   and   agricultural   economics   at   Rutgers   University   where   he   garnered   several   awards   for  
excellence  in  research  and  teaching.  He  joined  the  USBG  Staff  in  2012.  
Dr.  Novy  holds  an  appointment  as  a  research  collaborator  at  the  Na+onal  Museum  of  Natural  History.  He  
has   a   deep   passion   for   transla+ng   science   into   best   management   prac+ces   and   public   educa+on.   He   has  
served  in  advisory  roles  for  diverse  groups  including  the  White  House  Council  on  Environmental  Quality,  the  
Pollinator   Partnership,   and   the   European   and   Mediterranean   Plant   Protec+on   Organiza+on.   Dr.   Novy   also  
serves   on   the   Execu+ve   Leadership   Team   of   the   U.S.   Architect   of   the   Capitol   responsible   for   the  
development  and  preserva+on  of  17.4  million  square  feet  of  buildings  and  more  than  553  acres  of  land  on  
Capital  Hill.  
Dr.   Novy   was   born   in   Michigan   and   grew   up   in   New   Jersey.   He   completed   a   BA   at   New   York   University   in  
Italian  and  a  PhD  at  Rutgers  University  in  Plant  Biology.  He  lives  in  Arlington,  Virginia.    

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