OPPORTUNITY MATTERS

For our fall, 2023, webinar series, “Opportunity Matters” was a powerful theme. The webinars had a future focus, as well as examples of current practice, to showcase what will make AAUW’s vision of equal opportunity a reality.

Completed 2023 WEBINARS

June kickoff – Dr Season Hoard presented “The Gender Pay Gap: The Opportunity Lost Cost of the Gender Pay Gap on Washington Women” – CLICK FOR PRESENTATION VIDEO –>

September 12:  “Advocacy and Legislation Matter.”  AAUW-WA lobbyist Nancy Sapiro and Public Policy Director Sandra Distelhorst talked about upcoming legislation, such as Keep Our Care Act and Equity in Education bills. Then Sandra talked with Gina Masullo about her research on political engagement and opportunities to advance gender equity through political action. Dr. Masullo is the author of The New Town Hall: Why We Engage Personally with Politicians, and two other books on online engagement.  As a gender-nonconforming breast cancer patient, Gina Masullo has had personal experience with gendered bias in healthcare.

October 3: State Senator Karen Keiser, author of Getting Elected Is the Easy Part, shared her observations about opportunities for upcoming generations of women legislators and leaders. To view the recording, go to this link and use passcode: xam.3hyW

October 10: Focus on Literacy – Cat Howell, Executive Director of Literacy Source in Seattle, and Katherine Freimund, director of Whatcom Literacy Council, described how their organizations help women gain skills and education to create opportunities for themselves and their families.

November 14: Jessica Gerdes, Manager of Outreach and Mentorship at the Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology at Washington State University. By introducing students  to healthcare roles such as EMT, her program addresses the shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas in our state. View slides used by Jessica Gerdes in her presentation. To view the recording, go to this link and use passcode: !5.k5vWp

December 12: Grace Yoo, Executive Director of the Washington State Women’s Commission, established in 2018 by Governor Inslee. She discussed the work of the commission and  opportunities for women in leadership. View slides used by Grace Yoo in her presentation. To view the recording, go to this link and use passcode: #8XWM#Yu

The Gender Pay Gap
Saturday June 17

Our Keynote Speaker for the 2023 Fall Webinar Series will be Dr. Season Hoard, a professor in the Division of Governmental Studies and Services (DSGS) at WSU. Dr. Hoard will introduce our 2023 topic: Opportunity Matters. She will speak primarily about topics such as the gender pay gap, but will also touch on preparing women for employability in high wage, high demand STEM fields.

She has been responsible for developing applied research designs, conducting evaluation research, coordinating research projects, and managing client expectations since 2016. Prior to 2016, Dr. Hoard served as the Research Coordinator, coordinating and conducting applied research projects. Prior to joining DGSS, Season earned her Ph.D. from the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at WSU with a focus on comparative public policy and gender and politics.

Summer Leadership Meeting
Sat. August 5 

Our state organization’s annual leadership meeting – all members were invited. AAUW-WA board makes leadership development interesting, useful, and even fun. There is open dialogue and an environment of collaboration, which inspires members to become or continue as confident leaders.

COPIES OF PRESENTATIONS – SEE LINKS IN AGENDA BELOW

What AAUW records should your keep? Our first speaker of the morning was Ruth Seele from the Center for NW Studies at Western Washington University. She is an archivist for AAUW branches in the NW corner of Washington and AAUW WA. Where do you take the records you keep? What are you doing to keep a snapshot of what you are doing now? Think of the space you can free up in your basement!! KEYNOTE SPEAKER PRESENTATION SLIDES LINK –>

Opening Remarks from our President – Emily Hitchens – AAUW WA Strategic Plan 2023 SLIDES LINK –>

Breakout sessions:

• The Community HUB at national AAUW website – tutorial on our website – click here –>
• Your branch Website – PRESENTATION SLIDES LINK –>
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – PRESENTATION SLIDES LINK –>
  DEI Branch Agenda Template doc link –>
  DEI Panel Discussion Template slides –>
• Social Media/Instagram/Meta – PRESENTATION SLIDES LINK –>
• Membership
• College and University partnerships – PRESENTATION SLIDES LINK –>

We missed hearing from Sandra Distelhorst, AAUW WA Public Policy , but she reviewed and updated the state AAUW and national stance and actions YOU CAN TAKE to support the ERA/ Equal Rights Amendment – click here…

Any questions, please contact programs@aauw-wa.org

Emily Stone, Public Policy Director at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WASCDV). WSCADV is the leading voice to end domestic violence in Washington State. Their mission is to improve how communities respond to domestic violence and to create a world where all people can live and love without fear.

WASCDV advocates for legislation that impacts survivors of abuse in the Washington State Legislature and Congress, educates their membership about the policy process, and helps connect them with their legislators. They also provide input on court rules and state agency policies related to survivors and domestic violence programs, as well as participate on committees and work groups that address a variety of social justice issues.

Ms. Stone is the keynote speaker for Washington State Annual Meeting April 2023.
See links for more about Ms. Stone and related organizations:
https://wscadv.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-stone-msw

See the Youtube/Zoom recordings below to review the sessions.

Our headline speaker, Emily Stone, will help us learn more about domestic violence in Washington State, and how her organization is working to seek legislative and policy change particularly in the areas of prevention and support for survivors. As we look for groups with whom we/AAUW can partner, we will discuss how WASCDV work intersects with ours, and how we can potentially collaborate with them in the future.

Our afternoon Business Meeting covers our organizational changes and updates. For those newer members of AAUW, the business meeting will help you understand the workings of the state organization.

8:15 – 12  Annual Meeting program
8:45 Keynote Speaker – Emily Stone, Public Policy Director at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WASCDV). Read more…

10 – Reaching Out to Younger Women – College & University Program Chair Nadine Stecklein (Walla Walla) and Elena Cervantes (Edmonds Sno-King)

10:55 – Spreading the Word – Social Media Coordinator and member of our Communications Team Katherine Cleland (Seattle)

11:45  Break – Grab a quick bite and pour a glass of wine to sip as we hear from our Women in Wine Panel.  

12 – 1pm  Women in Wine Panel – Facilitated by Debbie Dumont (Walla Walla)

1 pm – Business Meeting

• $35- AAUW member
• $20- student member
• $20- 1st time attendee

Sustainability Summit meetings to discuss AAUW in Washington State.

Next meeting – Sunday, Mar. 12 – 2 pm
Click for ZOOM meeting –>>

PLAN FOR MARCH MEETING:

• Presenting and discussing the proposed Bylaws changes (both ours and National’s)
• Revisions to the Policies and Procedures as approved by the State Board
• Introducing the candidates up for election.

We are invited to join our AAUW-WA leadership to take action to strengthen our statewide membership. Every AAUW-WA member is encouraged to attend. We are experiencing the dissolution of branches. This is happening for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of a lack of new leadership, resulting in burnout for those willing to assume leadership roles. Our most impactful programs are in danger, which threatens our ability to attract and retain new members. We need to find solutions and we need your help.

Next Steps

• Developing a Presentation with Action Items for AAUW-WA Annual Meeting in April 2023

Saturday August 13, 9:00-3:00 on Zoom

Keynote Speaker: Dale Satake, AAUW National Board Member, Advancement Committee Chair, and Immediate Past Fundraising Chair for AAUW-California.

A day of learning and collaboration. Topics include:

• Finding the fun in FUNdraising
• Mastering the Community Hub
• Public Policy Working Groups
• Regional Collaboration
• Officer Training

Contact Karen Anderson — Programs Chair at programs@aauw-wa.org

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR WEBINAR SERIES –>

From President Williams, “In 2021 we had our first mission-based webinar series – Our Health Matters – and they were well attended and informative. In 2022-23 we continue with the second series focusing on the impact of the economy on women and girls. One of the reasons we decided to offer these series is to provide our branches with ready-made mission-based programming. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to dig deeper into how each of these topics impact you, your family, and your community.”

JUNE 11 — THE ECONOMY MATTERS: What we need to do to provide financial stability and prosperity for women and girls in the post-pandemic era. Our keynote speaker is Ariane Hegewisch, Program Director of Employment and Earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and a highly regarded authority on women’s economic status.

We include a short filmed statement from U.S. Congress Representative Pramila Jayapal, who is a staunch advocate for policies benefiting women.

September 13, Paula England of NYU will answer the question “Is the Gender Revolution Stalled?” by examining trends in women’s status in recent decades. She is an eminent sociologist who has spent a lifetime examining women’s issues, especially the wage gap.

October 11, Karen Dove, Executive Director of ANEW in Seattle, will speak on women’s access to well-paying jobs in the building trades. ANEW provides quality training, including apprenticeships, and employment services to women and people from underserved communities in Washington.

November 15, Kelly Jones of American University, will speak on her research on the economic consequences for women of restricted access to reproductive services. Professor Jones is an applied microeconomist whose research examines the effects of various economic policies on gender equality and women’s economic wellbeing.

December 13, State Senator Claire Wilson will speak on child-care policies in Washington state. Her expertise on the topic comes from 25 years working as an early childhood education administrator and as a legislator working to develop new policies to improve childcare access. She will be joined by Sarah Brady, the policy and advocacy manager for Child Care Resources of King County.

Please gather for a statewide book group meeting ahead of attending and hearing from the AUTHOR during the AAUW WA State Conference (click for details…)

March 30 at 10:30 am and again at 7:00 pm. 

We will discuss A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door:  The Dismantling of Public Education.  You can get the book at the King County library, which has three copies, as an e-book; Pierce County Library, which has two copies; and at other libraries in the state.  It is available on Amazon as a hardback, an audible book, or on Kindle.

Questions? contact programs@aauw-wa.org