Meet Your Future Councilmember: Tracy Pakulniewicz-Chidiac Experience Leadership Vision
For the past four years, Tracy has served on the Board and as President of the Cambridge Walk I Homeowners Association in Twinbrook. During that time, Tracy stood for fiscal discipline as the HOA was virtually bankrupt when she took office. In three years, Tracy, and the HOA's officers, brought the budget from red to black without increasing dues or implementing a single assessment. Tracy also actively participated in tough negotiations with JBG, the constructors of Twinbrook Station, to ensure her community's best interests were being heard and met.
Tracy served for five years under the Clinton Administration, in both the White House and the Department of Defense. Commitment to public service is very important to Tracy, and she served at the White House proudly in the Office of the Counselor to the President, Office of Communications, Social Office and Visitors Office. One of Tracy's highlights while working at the White House is when she spearheaded an effort to have special needs children given private access to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
Out of all of her memories in the Clinton Administration, Tracy, a first-generation American, cites her most precious as when she took her family, including her immigrant Sicilian grandparents, to meet former President Clinton. The family photo in the Oval Office is a rare four-generation photo, which includes Tracy's then three-week old niece.
Tracy's diplomatic and government experience proved invaluable when she was hired by movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer as Director of Operations. During the filming of three movies on four continents, Tracy successfully navigated international protocol in order to get black hawk helicopters into the Kingdom of Morocco for the filming of Black Hawk Down without incident. Following the September 11th tragedy, Tracy joined the Participate America Foundation, a national nonprofit organization created to increase civic participation across America during National Civic Participation Week, September 11 - 17, 2002, first as a consultant then as Executive Director. Tracy put forth an aggressive grassroots effort which resulted in increasing affiliates by 40% in six months. Immediately prior to becoming a public relations consultant, Tracy pursued her environmental passion and served as Communications Director for Earth Day Network, a global nonprofit organization created by the founders of the first Earth Day. Throughout her professional and post-secondary education, Tracy worked and studied on four continents, visiting nearly 30 countries around the globe. Tracy speaks Italian and some Japanese and Spanish. Tracy studied American Cobra GoJu Karate for twelve years and is a Silver Council Member for the National Italian American Foundation. |
Tracy and her husband moved to Rockville five years ago. The multicultural atmosphere, history and quaint neighborhoods were the ideal blend of characteristics they were looking for in order to start their family. In December 2005, Tracy and her husband welcomed their daughter Leila to their family and the Rockville community.
In her role as Protocol Officer for the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, Tracy diplomatically negotiated with international contingencies during official visits for heads of state and defense ministers from around the globe. Tracy also collaborated with the USO to produce two celebrity-packed holiday tours and traveled to war-torn theaters in Europe, including Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Her valuable contributions to the Administration have recognized by former President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Tipper Gore and former Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen. 