Tag Archives: leadership

Our Branch Moves Forward!

Our Branch Moves Forward! By Hedda Smithson

Last month we read about the new structure of our governing body – the board in its new
format. Now we ask you to look at some of the back pages of our membership directory.

Liz Jordan! Donna Holmes! Marty McKnew! Nancy McCabe! Cherril Peabody! Molly
Dugan! Gloria Yost! Barbara Smith! Hedda Smithson! Jane Cooley! Jean Bonar! Linda Sparks! What do all these women have in common? YEP! Each has served as AAUW
Sacramento Branch President! (A couple have done repeat performances!!) AND each is still
active at some level in our current membership year. So – something about that experience
sparked a passion for our branch and a desire to continue being involved.

Guess what – your name could be added to that Presidents list! Sometimes being
president is a bit easier than taking on a director’s responsibility and/or committee chair.
Regardless of the “job”, there are lots of resources available to facilitate your experience. Check
out our branch web site (https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net). Use the password in the back of the
directory to access the Members-Only page.

Here are some of the expectations:
* Be familiar with our governing documents: our bylaws, policies and leadership responsibilities and see that these are followed.
* Have good communication skills.
* Be comfortable using email, texting and Zoom
* Commit to a two-year term.
* Preside during board and business meetings and play a part in general membership meetings in welcoming guests and helping with the program.

Our election will be held early in 2025. Our rules allow for self-nominations.
AND – you would not be alone – the dozen women listed above are more than willing to be your cheerleaders.
Oh! Did we mention that the job comes with a gavel at the beginning and a lovely pin at the end? Tempted? Interested? Curious? We hope so. Contact our president, Nancy McCabe. She will help you get involved.

Presidents’ Message, AAUW Priorities and Public Policy

President’s Message By Nancy McCabe

By now we are hoping that a cool fall has arrived. It is time for moving on with holiday preparations and fall activities. I am also hoping that it brings a renewed interest in our branch’s event schedule. The upcoming plans are spoken to in other articles, which will give you reasons to join in.

An important reason that AAUW is able to continue to provide superior programming is the continuing contributions of a group of ladies who have served as president, often several times. The program vice-presidents are both former presidents, as are six in appointed positions. The list of all former branch presidents is in the back of your directory. The following ladies are all former presidents. Those with a * have served in terms separated by years, and those with a # served more than one term consecutively. Terms go back as far as 1974-75. Please acknowledge these ladies when you see them and offer a friendly hello and thank you: *Marilyn Orrick, Susan Whetstone, Linda Whitney, *#Gloria Yost, Linda Sparks, *#Hedda Smithson, Pat Morgan, Mary Williams, Jean Bonar, Jane Cooley, *Marty McKnew, #Molly Dugan, Cherril Peabody, *# Nancy McCabe, #Donna Holmes, #Elizabeth Jordan, *Charmen Goehring and #Angela Scarlett. Also, note that Charmen has been a president in five branches and state president once. Many other past presidents remained members until their death.

Our branch depends on our members doing what they can, so if you are able, please volunteer to be on a committee, be a greeter, bring refreshments to a monthly meeting, or help clean up after a meeting as we must use someone else’s space for our events. Volunteering is a great way to meet other members, which is a benefit to joining in.

See you soon! — Nancy

AAUW Priorities By Kathy Papst

Hello Members,

I am proud to be the new director of the AAUW Sacramento branch AAUW Priorities. AAUW advocates for “equality, individual rights, and social justice for a diverse society”.

PRIORITIES include four areas of concentration: Public Policy, Civil Rights Advocacy, Title IX and AAUW Funds. Charmen Goehring is continuing as chairperson of Funds, and I am chairperson of Civil Rights Advocacy, Title IX is currently vacant, and we have a new, young member as chairperson of Public Policy, Marissa Floyd. Welcome Marissa!

We will report to our branch on what is happening with national, state and local legislation and policy updates. The reports will be uploaded to the Sacramento branch website. I hope that our members will read these reports, and keep abreast of important information about equity and rights.

I now want to make a plea for someone to take on the chair of Title IX. I feel that this issue is very much misunderstood, yet very important. If you want to get involved on the board, this would be a great place to start. Chairpersons do not have to attend the monthly board meetings. I look forward to working with such talented and involved members.

CA Public Policy

From Amy Hom and Melissa Maceyko, Co-chairs, AAUW California Public Policy Committee

Please click <here> for the latest issue of Public Policy News. This issue contains an article on the outcome of the Legislative Session , and other important updates and resources.

President’s Message

President’s Message By Angela Scarlett

Dear Members,

As you read this article and the full newsletter, you will notice that we do not have a set program. Since our volunteer capacity is limited, we still need a dedicated program director.

Some folks have stepped up for critical events, including our stalwart Donna Holmes, for our Holiday Party on Dec. 10. During this event, we will conduct organizational business, including voting on bylaw changes proposed by the Strategic Planning Committee. Gloria Yost, a true jewel of a human being who wants to see this organization grow and succeed, drafted proposed changes, as were discussed at our September meeting. We are looking at four elected positions and five appointed directors-at-large. Please review the proposed changes linked here.

Secondly, our membership co-directors, Marty McKnew and Donna Holmes, are planning an informal membership event for new members at the beginning of November. If you feel out of the loop and want to reconnect, don’t hesitate to reach out to Donna, Marty, or me. We also really want to see you in December!

Make sure you also vote in November’s midterms!!!

Warmly,
Angela

Strategic Planning Committee Working Hard to Redesign our Branch

Strategic Planning Committee Working Hard to Redesign our Branch By Liz Jordan

On Sunday, May 1, eight members of the branch met to begin the process of planning how to help our branch through the latest leadership crises.  Many members may remember that the branch has gone through this process twice before in the last 30 years.  Each time, a committee met, figured out what were the problems in finding members willing to lead, and designing solutions that were imaginative and created with enthusiasm.  But the last two times, we have not actually followed through with enacting many of those solutions.  This time, we must succeed.

The committee went through long discussions on such questions as:

– Why does AAUW Sacramento Exist?
– What is important to us?
– What do we want to do as a branch?
– What do we need to do better?
– Why external trends could lead to increased success and engagement?

Finally, we came to the hard part: How do we achieve our goals? Ideas discussed were:

  • streamline our activities and our board of directors,
  • become more nimble in our responses to change,
  • restructure our programs, identify a yearly theme,
  • engage Interest Groups in branch activity and action

We broke into subcommittees for improving our outreach, restructuring the board and governance, restructuring programs and improving communications.  We plan to meet and share what we have developed in our subcommittees on June 1, 2022.

Any member with ideas or energy to offer should contact Marty McKnew.  See her contact information in the directory.

Leadership Slate Approved

Leadership Slate Approved by Branch By Liz Jordan

At the April 9, 2022, branch meeting, members unanimously approved the partial slate of officers provided by the Nominating Committee.  The attending members voted for Susana Mullen as finance director and for Carole Cline as secretary.  These members will assume their roles on July 1, 2022 and will serve for a two-year term.

The Nominating Committee was unable to find anyone to serve as president or as program director for the next two years.  In addition, the Nominating Committee chair, Liz Jordan, admitted that the committee was distracted with the crises of a leadership deficit, so they overlooked their responsibility to name three new members to the 2023 Nominating Committee.  Three members will be named at date to be determined.

Saying Yes!

Saying Yes Won’t Kill You! By Donna Holmes

As we approach nominating committee time, are you afraid you will be called upon?  Don’t be.  We are an organization with a common goal, and we all have a place.

Our branch is the perfect place to say “yes”.  My first “yes” was to become the treasurer, now titled finance officer.  Mary Schneider asked me in the street in front of Cherril Peabody’s house after a foster youth committee meeting.  I was surprised and asked why and was told that when she heard I taught algebra, she figured I could handle the math!  I was nominated from the floor at the April 2009 branch meeting and the rest is history.

So, the job was much more than I thought, but what a wonderful experience!  The outgoing treasurer, Dee Brookshire, held my hand every step of the way.  Our then presidents, Marty McKnew and Wendy Hayden, recommended we convert to a 501c3.  I took that on with a ton of help from Gloria Yost.  Sharon Anderson had become the membership treasurer, and we learned BDRs and ADRs together.

My second year, I was still working on the 501c3 with the IRS — it took 18 months.  My new presidents were Lisa Beauchamp and Gail Reed.  I was car pooling to board meetings with Barbara Smith, Gloria Yost and Sandi Schoenman.  Molly Dugan was our secretary, trying to keep everything recorded.  Cherril Peabody was chairing scholarships and I joined her committee.  When the 501c3 was approved, our branch went from awarding two $750 scholarships to awarding $2,000 scholarships – three, then four, then five and this past year, up to $3,000!

See all the names in the previous paragraphs?  All have become friends, some besties for life! That was 12 years ago, and there are so many more names/friends.  And it was all due to that first “yes”.  Not only the friends — I have learned so much, I even can update a website.  My life is so much richer, and I am still saying “yes” whenever I am able.  Say “yes” to something and reap the rewards!  I said “yes”, again, am doing Membership and Membership Treasurer this year and next with bestie Marty McKnew. The saga continues.