The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. DAVID E. RIVERS
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HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN
of south carolina
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who was a committed educator and public servant, who lived by the Biblical teaching to ``act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.'' He also happened to be a very dear friend for more than 40 years, Dr. David E. Rivers transitioned from this life on February 4, 2022, and he will be sorely missed by all who had the honor of knowing him.
Dr. Rivers was born on June 7, 1943, in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was the second of five children born to Joseph and Lorine Rivers. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in urban affairs, political science and public administration at Georgia State University. He went on to graduate from the National Urban Fellows Program in Public Administration at Yale University and the Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Program at Furman University. He was also a charter member of Georgia State University's first Black Greek organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Incorporated, which was chartered in 1968.
Before beginning his professional career, Dr. Rivers, served three years in the U.S. Army. He became Atlanta's first African American Commissioner of Budget and Planning under Mayor Maynard Jackson. He held leadership positions on the Atlanta Regional Commission, at Georgia State University, the U.S. Department off Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Energy and headed the Public Health Department in the District of Columbia Government under Mayor Marion Barry.
All of these experiences were a precursor to his extraordinary career at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He joined MUSC's faculty in 1995, and served in many distinguished capacities, promoting partnerships between academic institutions, government agencies, elected officials, business industry, faith-based groups, and community activists to build healthier communities. At the time of his death, Dr. Rivers was the Director of the Public Information and Community Outreach Initiative (PICO) at MUSC, a program he founded.
Dr. Rivers served as Principal Investigator, administering over $20 million in sponsored funding during his career, and was a collaborator in securing funding for over $100 million in national, state, and local programs during his career. Under his leadership, the PICO Initiative conducted nationwide Community Leaders Institutes to address the impact of health disparities and environmental justice issues in low-income, ethnic minority communities and other underserved populations.
South Carolina Educational Television produced his award-winning Community Leaders Institute programs, which were televised to national audiences. In recognition of his work on climate change and its impact across the United States, Dr. Rivers received multiple nominations and won a Bronze Telly Award and the highest viewership of a televised program produced by Educational Television.
Dr. Rivers led the planning and execution of the National Conference on Health Disparities for nearly two decades, which provided a national dialogue to share progress in building healthy communities from 2007 through 2021. He also organized and led the Environmental Justice Braintrust at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.'s Annual Legislative Conference. The Braintrust recommended strategies to help policy makers address environmental issues by fostering a relationship between environmental protection, human health, environmental justice, and economic development.
In 2009, Dr. Rivers became the first African American to hold a citywide elected office in Charleston, SC. He served as a Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Charleston since 2009, where he also served as Vice Chairman and Chairman, He was re-elected unopposed in 2015 and 2021.
Dr. Rivers served as Chairman of the National Urban Fellows and the James E. Clyburn Research and Scholarship Foundation boards. He was President of the Jonathan Green Foundation, and he was Vice Chairman of the Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Corporation. He was a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, American Water Works Association, and Water Environment Federation.
He also served on the Boards of the South Carolina Aquarium, My Brother's Keeper, and the 100 Black Men of Charleston, SC. He was also a member of the National Council of La Raza, California State University Center for Latino Community Health in Monterey Bay, California; Allen University Board of Trustees; the Congressional Black Caucus Institute's 21st Century Council, Executive Committee; the Advisory Board of Charleston's First Reliance Bank, and the Trident Urban League. He also served as a Board Member of Trident Unban League, the Community Foundation, and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.
Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. David Rivers. His impact can be felt across this country in so many communities that are addressing environmental justice and health disparities, and his work will continue through the initiatives he developed and nurtured throughout his career. Dr. Rivers led a life of purpose driven by passion. May he rest in power.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 25
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