US Rep. Ron Barber Will Attend TREO Event, Continuing His Commitment to Growing Southern Arizona Jobs

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Ron Barber today will attend the annual luncheon for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities. Since being sworn in, Barber has put his focus on growing Southern Arizona jobs, working with Arizona companies and groups such as TREO, both at home in Arizona and in Washington.

Barber also will speak today at an event honoring individuals for their work on mental health issues and will attend the annual gala of the El Rio Foundation on Friday.

Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems, the largest private employer in the Tucson area, will be the keynote speaker at today's Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities' annual luncheon. The event also will include TREO's annual economic update.

"Since I took office more than two years ago, my primary commitment has been bringing jobs to Tucson and Southern Arizona," Barber said today. "I work closely with both TREO and Raytheon to accomplish that."

Barber, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, recently met in Washington with leaders of TREO and the Southern Arizona Defense Alliance to discuss their joint strategy of growing defense-related jobs in the community.

About two weeks ago, Barber announced that Raytheon has been awarded a $149 million contract to produce parts for Israel's Iron Dome missile-defense system -- something that Barber has aggressively fought for since he took office.

The work will be done by Raytheon Missile Systems' facilities in Tucson and Huntsville, Ala.

"I've been fighting to bring jobs to our community since I took office," Barber said in announcing the contract. "After years of pushing, we can say that coproduction of Iron Dome in the United States will be a reality. This means jobs for Southern Arizona and better security for Israel and our nation. Raytheon played a key role in helping develop Iron Dome and now it also will play a role in producing it."

This evening, Barber will speak at the sixth annual Daniel Moreno awards dinner, where four Tucsonans will be recognized for their contributions toward improving the lives of those living with a mental illness.

Barber was among those honored at last year's Daniel Moreno dinner. Barber is a national leader in the effort to increase mental health service and treatment, working to reduce gun-related violence by focusing on mental health issues.

This year's honorees are:

-Dan Haley, chief executive officer of HOPE Inc., who is being honored for playing an influential role in showcasing the value of peer support in promoting recovery for people with substance use disorder and mental illness.

-Judi Maikoff of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Southern Arizona, who coordinates three education programs for the organization.

-Kathy Tribolet, a parent support partner with MIKID, a non-profit, licensed outpatient clinic that provides behavioral health services.

-Lollie Butler, who managed a rehab program for individuals with mental illness and later taught creative writing to women prison inmates and served as an advocate for inmates who had a mental illness.

The awards were established by Susan Moreno to honor her son, Daniel, who took his own life while receiving treatment for schizophrenia.

Earlier this year, Barber introduced the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act to increase access to community-based mental health services and strengthen our mental health system -- asking more from existing programs and better outcomes for individuals and families impacted by mental illness.

In 2012, Barber introduced the Mental Health First Aid Act to increase public awareness of mental illness symptoms and mental health services by training teachers, students, firefighters, police officers, emergency services workers and members of the general public. Funding for Mental Health First Aid was signed into law in January 2014.

Tomorrow evening, Barber and his wife Nancy will attend the 13th annual El Rio Foundation Gala, held by the El Rio Health Center Foundation.

For more than 40 years, the El Rio Community Health Center has been providing quality health care that is accessible to all who need it. Today, more than 79,000 people in the Tucson community rely on the non-profit health center as their primary source of medical and dental care.

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