[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 11134] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]A TRIBUTE TO JOSE ANTONIO ZAPATA ______ HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS of new york in the house of representatives Thursday, June 17, 2010 Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Jose Antonio Zapata for his dedication to his community and excellence in his field. A personable and dedicated retail bank professional, Jose Antonio Zapata is the oldest of three sons raised in Bronx, New York by proud parents Honoria Guaba and Antonio Zapata. Jose's parents left their native country of the Dominican Republic and migrated to the United States with the hope of giving their children a better life. His parents instilled in him that dedication, hard work, higher education and motivation will lead to success in life. Graduating from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, Jose immersed himself in becoming a noteworthy athlete in Track and Field. He also volunteered throughout the Bronx, through such deeds as helping in the clean up project at Van Cortland Park. With his mother's relentless support for academic advancement, Jose earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Baruch College in Real Estate and Metropolitan Development. He chose this field in hopes of filling the need of affordable housing in underserved communities. However, he soon realized that having a solid understanding of financial services would enable an individual to go much further than being provided affordable shelter. Ever since then he has focused his efforts on the financial industry. Mr. Zapata is now a highly accomplished bilingual management professional with expertise in retail banking and an interest in micro- finance. Jose joined Citibank, a leading global financial services company, in 2004 and quickly became an award-winning employee, earning the 2005 CitiStars Top Sales Producer Award. He also became Chair of the Community Outreach and Professional Development Committee for the Citigroup Hispanic Network and Editor of the Citibank Management Association newsletter. His hard work continued to pay off as he was selected to work on high-profile initiatives for the previous chairman and C.E.O. of Citibank North America. Jose quickly moved on to becoming Branch Manager of Citibank's Liberty Avenue branch where he has had great success. Through his management, Citibank's Liberty Avenue Branch is intensely focused on serving its clients, customers, and community through branch involvement in events such as the Bangladesh Festival, the Mobile Mexican Consulate, Community Board Meetings, and various customer appreciation initiatives. Prior to joining Citibank, Jose provided marketing support for Gala Resources LLC and Powerhouse Mortgage and Funding and sale support for the Unicasa Realty. When he is not working, he loves playing basketball, and nurturing his younger brothers' affinity for the sport. He is also a boxing aficionado. Jose now hopes to continue his educational endeavors and entering a graduate program of study in the near future. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the achievements of Jose Antonio Zapata. ____________________