Sen. King: Tribute to Kevin Concannon

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Feb. 9, on a tribute to Kevin Concannon, a former undersecretary of Agriculture for food, nutrition and consumer services:

Mr. President, that Kevin Concannon retired is not news--he has done that several times before--and each time he moved on to more exciting and challenging positions.

In 2016, Kevin Concannon retired from the USDA as the Undersecretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services after 8 years of service.

Kevin is a tireless advocate of people--all people. His work to assure that every effort was made to address hunger in this country is an indicator of his compassion, understanding of both the issues and solutions, and his unwavering faith in the ability of this great country to care for those who are struggling--whether it is food insecurity or earlier in his career on mental health issues, long-term care, and child welfare.

At USDA, Kevin worked tirelessly to increase options for SNAP beneficiaries to access fresh local foods at farmers markets; he was determined that children should have more access to nutritious foods in WIC, schools and child care--while Kevin and I agree on that goal--I must add--that as a native Mainer, Kevin may have missed the mark on where white potatoes fit into those meal plans.

Kevin Concannon came to USDA with an amazingly broad spectrum of experience. From 1987-1995, he served as the director of the Oregon Department of Human Resources, after having served as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Mental Health and Corrections. In 1995, I was fortunate to be able to bring him back to his home State of Maine to serve as the commissioner of Maine's Department of Human Services. At the time, I commented that he was the Dan Marino of commissioners and welcomed him back. I would point out that Dan Marino is now serving as the vice president of the Dolphins, and I expect that, in the same way, Kevin Concannon will find ways to continue his public service--and that will benefit us all.

Kevin led efforts throughout his career to improve child welfare, expand Medicaid and child health insurance, integrating programs of public health and medical care, improving systems for long-term care for elders and people with disabilities. Many of those efforts were national in scope, and he was selected by his peers to serve as the president of the American Public Welfare Association from 1994-1995.

In every role, in every effort, Kevin Concannon has been an exemplary public servant and leader.

Margaret Chase Smith said it best: "Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation."

Kevin Concannon is the personification of total dedication, honesty, and determination to make the world a better place; that has been the hallmark of his work each and every day.

Congratulations and best wishes to Kevin Concannon and welcome home.

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