Recognizing Tammy Edwards' Retirement From the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, I rise to celebrate the illustrious career of Tammy Edwards, who has served as the senior vice president of the Community Engagement and Inclusion Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City since 2019. As her retirement draws near, let us take a moment to reflect upon Tammy's professional accomplishments as well as her many contributions to the community she calls home.

Raised on the east side of Troost Avenue, the corridor historically used to divide Kansas City along racial lines, Tammy attended Kansas City Public Schools and graduated in the top 10 percent of her high school class. Tammy's academic prowess led to her acceptance into the INROADS program, which works to open up pathways to careers for ethnically diverse high school and college students all across the United States. While earning her Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Tammy's involvement in the INROADS program helped her land an internship at United Telecom, the predecessor to Sprint Corporation. Tammy continued her internship throughout her four years of undergraduate study, and after graduating in 1984, she accepted a full-time position with the company, where she would remain for over twenty-six years. In the early years of her career, Tammy went back to UMKC to earn an MBA, which she completed in 1986.

In 2008, Tammy became the vice president of the Community Development Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, which covers the 10th District of the Federal Reserve. The District includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and western Missouri, where it promotes the public's interest by supporting economic and financial stability. By 2019, Tammy had worked her way up the ranks to become the Bank's senior vice president within the Community Engagement and Inclusion Division. Notably, Tammy also served as director of the Bank's Office of Minority and Women Inclusion and was a member of the Bank's Management Committee, which oversees the institution's strategic planning and policy direction.

Throughout her nearly 15 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Tammy helped develop a diverse and welcoming workforce and culture, led engagement initiatives for strategic stakeholders, directed programs aimed at addressing challenging community and economic development issues that affect underserved individuals and communities, helped advance women and minority bankers, and encouraged her colleagues to volunteer outside of work.

Always leading by example, Tammy serves on the board of directors for the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, the Full Employment Council, Kansas City Scholars, the Kansas City Workforce Investment Board, Kansas City Public Television, the Metropolitan Community College Foundation, and the Jacob and Ella Loose Foundation. Additionally, Tammy is actively involved at St. James United Methodist Church, the Greater Kansas City Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and the Greater Kansas City Chamber's Executive Women Leadership Council. Tammy also frequently presents on various leadership, community and economic development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Indeed, Tammy has faithfully lived up to the words of Luke 12:48, ``From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.''

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing Tammy Edwards for her years of service to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Tammy has spent her entire career using her influence to lift up others, and I wish her all the best in retirement.

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