Category Archives: News

Spring ’25 Marylander

Volume 93 #3, Spring 2025

President, Heather Reichert  |  Editor, Susan Wierman  |  email:  aauw-md@aauw.org

Click here to download the PDF version of this issue.

Table of Contents:

  1. President’s Welcome Message
  2. 2025 AAUW Maryland State Convention
  3. Meet the Nominees!
  4. The AAUW Archives Corps Invites You!
  5. Spring 2025 Public Policy Update
  6. Membership Matters
  7. Kensington-Rockville Branch Activities
  8. Save the Date for the 2026 Regional Meeting
  9. Your AAUW Maryland leaders
  10. Calendar

President’s Message

This is a double President’s Message! First, speaking as the President of Gaithersburg Branch, the branch is very excited to welcome everyone to the 2025 AAUW Maryland Convention. On Friday evening, we are looking forward to hosting a delicious Italian meal at Il Porto (verified – I had dinner there a few nights ago and it was quite popular!) and for Saturday morning Pat Stocker and Kate Campbell Stevenson put together an incredible program.

The venue for the Convention is a beautiful church in Gaithersburg, the Pathways Baptist Church. It is well located near shops, restaurants, I-270 and MD-200. There is plenty of surface parking and an elevator to reach the lower level for the meeting in the Grand Hall.

I am especially proud that we can have a program addressing international matters that relate to women given the current pressure on so many aspects of international assistance and on women in general. We can make a difference by learning the stories of women who may be struggling and finding ways to help. Our morning speakers have extensive international experience and work to help people across Maryland either by passing important legislation or providing guidance on entrepreneurship for immigrant women.

We will also learn about the successful microbusinesses of women in Africa.
Details regarding location and registration are in this Marylander. We urge you to register as soon as possible to avoid the cost increase of late registration. Finally, we want to make this event available to many women in the state, not just AAUW members. Please encourage your friends and family to attend as well. There are special rates for guests and students.

Now, with my AAUW Maryland President hat on, in a small way, I have been trying to make a difference by attending several rallies and protests in Washington, DC. I’m fortunate to have the time to go on different days at various times. I have also attended a few hearings at the Maryland General Assembly this month and started participating in the DC Lobby Corps.

It is a privilege to be able to attend these various events. So many citizens are not able to go. We represent our family, friends, and neighbors when we participate in the legislative process! Right now, there are only a few Maryland members attending Lobby Corps. It would be great if more members could join us! Please ask about it if you are curious.

I can’t wait to see everyone on April 25 and 26!

Heather Reichardt, President, AAUW Maryland Heather Reichardt
President
AAUW Maryland

2025 AAUW Maryland State Convention

Women Supporting Women:  Global Influences and Opportunities

Hosted by the Gaithersburg Branch of AAUW – MD

Saturday, April 26, 2025  |  Pathways Baptist Church 200 West Diamond Avenue, Gaithersburg MD 20877  |  Directions to Pathways Baptist Church

 

Event Registration:   Online Registration  |  Paper Registration Form

Come together with like-minded women from around the state to discuss local and global issues and explore opportunities for women’s economic security. This event is a great opportunity to network, share experiences, and learn from each other. Let’s learn about how to help make a positive impact locally and globally!

Event Agenda:

  • 8:30 AM – Registration & Continental Breakfast
  • 9:00 AM – Welcome
        • Edie Allison, AAUW Gaithersburg Branch
        • Heather Reichardt, AAUW Maryland President
  • 9:15 AM – The Challenges and Joys of Immigrating to the US
        • Speaker: Delegate Lily Qi
          Delegate Lily Qi
          Born in Shanghai, China, Lily Qi grew up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She immigrated to the US in 1989, became a US citizen in 1999, and now represents the 15th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. She previously served as a chief administrator for economic development under Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.
  • 10:00 AM – Break
  • 10:15 AM – Panel Discussion: Women Supporting Women Domestically and Globally
        • Panelist: Bria Marie Hodge, Director of Small Business Development, Latino Economic Development Center.
          Bria Marie Hodge
          The LED’s mission is to serve as a catalyst that drives the economic and social advancement of low-to-moderate income Latinos and other underserved communities.
        • Panelist: Robyn Nietert, President, Women’s Microfinance Initiative

          WMI promotes women’s economic participation through small loans and carries the hope of prosperity to poor, rural areas of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
        • Moderator: Kate Stevenson, former Co-President, Maryland AAUW
  • 11:15 AM – Women Supporting Women: Results from the Maryland Legislative Session
        • Speaker: Roxann King, AAUW Maryland Vice President for Public Policy
  • 12:00 PM – New Officer Voting & Installation
  • 12:30 PM – Lunch
  • 1:15 PM – Business Meeting (separate agenda to be provided)
  • 4:00 PM – Adjourn

Meet the Nominees!

Submitted by the 2025 Nominating Committee: Anita Rosen, Chair

At the April 26 convention, members present or online are asked to approve the following nominations. As provided in the Bylaws, terms for officers are staggered so that about half of the officers are elected each year. Additional nominations may be made at the convention with the permission of the nominee. Thanks to the 2025 Nominating Committee: Anita Rosen (Kensington-Rockville) (chair), Bev Fallik (Howard County), Edie Allison (Gaithersburg), with Susan Wierman (Baltimore), pro tem (past chair). Thanks to the nominees!  Short bios are included below:

Two nominees are proposed to fill one-year terms through June 30, 2026, due to vacancies remaining from last year’s election. Both are eligible to be renominated next year:

Vice President, Programs: Edie Allison (Gaithersburg)

Co-Vice President, Communications: Roxann King (Anne Arundel) (replaces SW)

Nominees for the two-year term beginning July 1, 2025, are:

Treasurer: Christine Schmitz (Baltimore)

Co-Vice Presidents, Public Policy: Barb Carter (Baltimore)

And Deb Daniel (Online)

Vice President, Membership: Jeanne Blades (Harford)

Secretary: (open for nominations)

Nominees for the 2026 Nominating Committee are: Jacqueline Gray (Baltimore), Kate Campbell Stevenson (Kensington-Rockville), and Pat Stocker (Bethesda-Chevy Chase), with Anita Rosen (Kensington-Rockville) pro tem (past chair).

  • Vice President, Programs: Edie Allison (Gaithersburg): Edie Allison has been active in the AAUW Gaithersburg Branch for over 25 years. She currently is branch treasurer and has served in other branch officer positions in the past. Edie has also served as AAUW-Maryland president, membership co-VP and newsletter editor in the past. Ms. Allison grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, received a bachelor’s degree in geology from West Texas State University and master’s degree in geology from the University of Utah.
    After working in the petroleum industry for many years in Texas, she joined the U.S. Department of Energy, which brought her to the Washington, DC area in 1997. Since retiring from the Energy Department in 2010, she has worked as a consulting geologist focusing on technologies and policies to reduce emissions from oil and natural gas.
  • Co-Vice President, Communications, Roxann King (Anne Arundel): Roxann King retired in her fortieth year of teaching mathematics at Prince George’s Community College in June 2016. She taught online for several years, creating many video tutorials on YouTube for student use. She also edited and wrote mathematics textbooks for developmental mathematics students.
    Now completing her fifth year as AAUW Maryland vice president/co-VP for public policy, she previously served as Maryland’s Membership VP and Program co-VP and served four years as co-President of AAUW Anne Arundel County. Roxann is very comfortable using technology or learning new technology. As Susan Wierman completes her fifth year working with AAUW Maryland Communications Co-VPs Lydia and Susana, Roxann looks forward to filling Susan’s spot.
    Roxann has a daughter, two sons, and four grandchildren living in the Bowie-Annapolis area, sharing many family events. She enjoys needle crafts, tennis, music, biking, cooking, gardening, traveling; and most of all, just being outdoors. A member since 1998, she values many wonderful AAUW friendships.
  • Treasurer: Christine Schmitz (Baltimore): Christine Schmitz is AAUW Maryland’s current Treasurer and is nominated to continue for another term. Christine has over 35 years of diverse experience as a Certified Public Accountant and Financial Advisor to individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Before the 2023-2025 term, Christine previously served various other terms as AAUW MD Membership Chair, Treasurer, and Vice President for Fundraising.  She has been a long-time advocate for AAUW, having served as President of the Towson Branch and as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Baltimore Branch.

    She served several terms on the AAUW National Finance Committee and the Investment Committee, as well as the Governance Committee. She also has years of service on other non-profit boards, specifically Women First International Fund (previously known as Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund, on which I served for ten years). Christine was elected to AAUW’s national Board of Directors in 2024.

  • Co-Vice Presidents, Public Policy: Barb Carter (Baltimore) and Deb Daniel (Online): Barb Carter earned a BS in Education, minor in math, at Edinboro State Teachers College in northwestern PA, and then taught math outside Erie for over five years. She moved to Baltimore in 1971, teaching in several county schools, and earning an MS in Education from Hopkins in 1976. In 1996, she remarried and moved to Columbia, MD, retiring in 2001. Her husband’s job activities opened the door to worldwide traveling and many new experiences. Her hobbies were home rehab, travel, and reading. Now, as a widow, she still enjoys traveling as well as lunches with friends, reading, discovering activities in her retirement community, and just relaxing.
    In 1995, Barb attended an AAUW Howard County meeting featuring Delegate Liz Bobo. Having experienced discrimination several times, Barb found Bobo’s review of Annapolis legislation very interesting and motivating. Discovering Lobby Corps opened the door to membership in AAUW and a chance to improve the status of women.
    When she became a snowbird in 2010, Barb made a presentation about Lobby Corps at an AAUW Florida State Convention and then was invited to speak at several local branches. Her interesting seven years’ snow birding in Florida included lobbying in Tallahassee. Now in Maryland full time, Barb looks forward to spending more time on Maryland legislation, especially during these challenging times. She says, “We still have a lot of work to do advocating for women and girls.
  • Deborah (Deb) Daniel joined AAUW after meeting Barbara Fetterhoff becoming a member of her small branch in the most southern part of Maryland—a very welcoming and inclusive group. Now an online branch member, Deb was one of the earliest computer programmers and ended up writing critical cryptographic and communications code as a contractor to the World Bank. She also taught some obscure computer coding techniques in Sweden, England, and Spain.
    She notes her skillset is still primarily technical but, at 78, she is interested in how governments work and make public policy. She set up a MyMGA account to advocate for bills she hoped would make Maryland a good place for her grandchildren who live here. She looks forward to helping build the AAUW public policy group in the next two years.
  • Vice President, Membership: Jeanne Blades (Harford): Jeanne Blades is currently VP for Membership for both AAUW Maryland and the Harford County Branch.  She has been a member for six years and readily engaged in the VP for Membership role.  She was drawn to AAUW by the friendly, dynamic Harford County women and by all the work that they do to benefit women locally and abroad.  She has been actively involved in many of the groups and events that her branch fosters.
    While still the VP for Membership for Harford County, in 2023 she took on the role of VP for Membership for AAUW Maryland. In another life before retirement in 2011, she earned her master’s in science to work as a reading specialist and special educator in an effort to reach students with special needs. After 40 years in education, this was still a passion, and she continued to substitute at her elementary “home” school until 2023.
    Throughout her career, she has always worked with adult learners as well and still teaches as an online adjunct instructor for Goucher College believing that one of the foremost ways to improve education within our schools is by helping teachers to adopt exceptional instructional practices.

 

The AAUW Archives Corps Invites You!

By Dian Belanger

Do you enjoy discovering hidden treasures? Are you curious about AAUW’s amazing past? Would you like to make a significant contribution with no required advance preparation? If so, please join the fun, with other dedicated member volunteers from the District-Maryland-Virginia area who comprise the AAUW Archives Corps. We meet on the 4th Monday of alternate months at AAUW’s national office at 1310 L Street NW, Washington, DC, 10:00a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Training and ongoing guidance are provided so we can confidently process and preserve our historic past. Our important efforts make these records usable and accessible to present and future researchers.

Yes, much of what we do is scut work: remove staples, arrange papers chronologically (or in other logical sequence), cull duplicates, transfer the organized documents to acid-free folders. But what a thrill it is to uncover an awesome, unusual, funny, or long forgotten missing link. My favorite finds so far: A member/leader bequeathed a Montana gold mine to AAUW in the 1970s! (Then what? Still searching…)

Bring or buy your lunch nearby. A parking garage is adjacent; or it’s about a five-block walk from the Farragut North or Metro Center Metro. Questions? Ready to sign up? Please contact Dian Belanger dobelanger@comcast.net.

Spring 2025 Public Policy Update 

By Roxann King, Co-Vice President for Public Policy

Thank you to the members who attended AAUW MD Advocacy Day on Tuesday, February 11! Despite the pending snowstorm, the Maryland General Assembly was hard at work. We visited all the offices of the Senate Judicial Proceedings and House Judiciary Committees, which were hearing four of AAUW Maryland’s six top-ranked bills on the MLAW agenda. Don’t hesitate to refer to our visits in any of your emails to members of these two committees. (Branches represented included 1Anne Arundel, 2Gaithersburg, 3Garrett, 4Harford, and 5Kensington-Rockville. Pictured: L-R Susan Crawford1, Sheila Allen4, Tracy Lantz1, Heather Reichardt2, Theresa Freligh4, Judy Carbone3, Caity Lovett4, Anita Rosen5, and Roxann King1.)

More details will be presented at the Convention, but as of March 1, few bills we supported had passed at least one chamber; none were ready to send to the Governor. With few exceptions, bills must pass in one chamber by March 17, Crossover Day, to remain under consideration in 2025.

In Maryland, since 2016 when Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated for President, increasing numbers of women have been elected to the Maryland legislature. Currently 30% of the Senate (14 out of 47) and 44% of the House of Delegates (61 out of 139) are women. This has benefitted bills favorable to women and families. This year we are off to a slow start, due to Maryland’s budget concerns, which may affect passage of bills requiring State funding.

National AAUW Lobby Corps has been visiting offices on Capitol Hill twice monthly on Thursday mornings. Action alerts are sent out to AAUW members each time Lobby Corps is active.

If you are not getting action alerts from AAUW national, you can sign up for the Two Minute Activist here: https://www.aauw.org/act/two-minute-activist/. To sign up for action alerts from Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women, send an email to mdlegagenda4women@yahoo.com asking to be added to their email list.

The form for 2025-26 Mini-grants is available at AAUW Maryland’s website under Tools for Leaders. Funded events need not be original ideas: copies of all previous funded mini-grants are on the mini-grant page. The deadline for entries is June 15th, with winners to be announced by July 1.

 Bills AAUW MD Supported at the 2025 Legislative Session:

We supported ten bills that comprise the agenda of the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women:

  • HB629/SB549 Stop Silencing Survivors. This bill provides additional protection from retaliatory litigation for sexual assault survivors. Sex offenders have been suing victims for slander to discourage reporting assaults.
  • HB1050/SB943 Firearm Relinquishment. This bill aims to close gaps in the current protective order by ensuring firearms are relinquished or removed from abusers.
  • HB930/SB848 Abortion Care Access Fund Act of 2025. This bill establishes the Abortion Care Access Fund to assist Maryland abortion providers serving uninsured and underinsured people, using $25 million in unspent insurance premiums accumulated over the last 10 years.
  • SB 632/HB1198 The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act. This bill requires the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to implement comprehensive rehabilitative services to women classified in the prerelease status in the Life Skills and Reentry Center for Women.
  • HB424/SB357 Prescription Drug Affordability Board Act. This bill expands the authority of Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board to allow them to set upper payment limits for all Marylanders. HB 424 passed the House and was referred to the Senate Finance Comm.
  • HB334/SB156 Universal Newborn Nurse Home Visiting Services. This bill will provide families with newborns in-home visits to promote child and maternal health, positive parenting, family self-sufficiency, and family cohesion early in a newborn’s life.  SB 156 passed the Senate and was referred to the House Health and Government Operations Committee.
  • HB647/SB702 Corrections – Segregated Housing – Limitations. This bill limits the use of solitary confinement in Maryland prisons to no more than 15 days and only for egregious offenses, and it excludes certain people, including women who are pregnant, who are postpartum, or who have recently suffered a miscarriage, from this treatment.
  • HB933/SB679 Protecting Nursing Home Quality Care. This legislation will ensure 75% of nursing home revenue received from Maryland’s Medicaid program is spent on direct care and the women-led workforce that provides it.
  • SB314/ HB 1368 Birth Certificate Modernization Act. This bill will update the process for changing one’s personal name or sex designation on their own birth certificate or their child’s birth certificate to align with other identification processes (i.e., drivers’ licenses), promote dignity for all unique identities, and reduce opportunities for discrimination.
  • SB5/HB297 Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program Sunset Repeal. This bill extends young adult health insurance subsidies in the MD healthcare exchange. SB 5 passed the Senate and was referred to the House Health and Gov’t Operations Committee. HB 297 passed the House of Delegates and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

AAUW Maryland also supported four additional bills, not on the MLAW agenda.

  • SB720/HB905 Safe Staffing Act of 2025. Insufficient staff and insufficient beds are the two top causes of long emergency room waiting times. Maryland still has the longest emergency room wait time of all 50 states, now for the 9th year in a row—over 4 hours. This bill requires all hospitals to make and post a safe staffing plan.
  • SB 508/HB381 Healing Our Scars Act. This bill would require Maryland health insurers to provide aesthetic and restorative care to the victims of domestic violence.
  • SB 511/HB 840 Pregnant and Parenting Students Support Act. This bill would require most Maryland public senior colleges and universities to put in place a plan for care support of parenting and pregnant students and have it posted on their websites by July 2026.
  • HB 939/SB 674 Over Counter Birth Control. This bill requires the Maryland Commission for Women to establish the Maryland Collaborative to Advance Implementation of Coverage of Over-the-Counter Birth Control (already available but seldom used).

I look forward to speaking with you at the Convention in Gaithersburg April 26!

Membership Matters

By Jeanne Blades, Vice President for Membership

The Tax Man Cometh:  Your deductible dues sustain AAUW.

As you prepare your taxes for Uncle Sam, remember that your $72 National dues are deductible.  Heads Up!  AAUW Board recently approved a modest dues adjustment—$2 per year over the next two years. New national dues: $74 starting April 1, 2025, and $76 starting April 1, 2026. Thanks for your dues, which help fund lobby corps, archive corps, website support, virtual member training and gatherings, national committees, national speakers for branch and state meetings, and more! AAUW.

A Warm Welcome to New Members

Last year was busy for our Maryland branches.  We have approximately 432 members in Maryland and a good number joined or renewed in 2024!  So I extend a very warm welcome to all of our new members.

I encourage each branch to review its branch roster as of February 1st, to ensure that it is up to date with memberships processed through January 31st.  Then, email connect@aauw.org if there are any issues.  You can watch the February 1 Count video for roster review tips. You will find a link to this in the AAUW Membership Matters from Katrina Sun Breese (February 27th email) or go to the AAUW Community Hub, scroll down to videos to find February 1 Count.  This will give you instructions on how to:

  • Sort and review information,
  • Identify the state “manager members” who appear on all branch rosters,
  • Remove members whose membership has expired and do not plan to rejoin, and
  • Report duplicates to connect@aauw.org so they can be merged.

Feel free to ask me questions at the annual convention!

Kensington-Rockville Branch Activities

By Dian Belanger, Branch President

What a great group we welcomed around our community table for February’s member “salon”! Thank you, Bobbe Mintz, for organizing and conducting lively discussion–our educations, aspirations, and life choices. How being a woman “back then,” affected our outcomes drew widespread nods of understanding and empathy—and cheers, too! Let’s keep sharing our stories. They’re important—not just to us but among us.

As I write, we look forward to coming together March 15th to learn more about the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women—firsthand, from Pat Stocker a CSW delegate. Pat will help us gain a new perspective on women around the world.

Save the Date for the 2026 Regional Meeting

By Tracy Lantz, AAUW MD Regional Event Planning Committee

Join AAUW members and friends from 13 states at the Lancaster County Convention Center & Marriott Hotel in Lancaster, PA on September 25-27th, 2026 for the AAUW Atlantic Regional Conference 2026 hosted by AAUW Pennsylvania!  See https://aauw-pa.aauw.net/2026-atlantic-states-regional-conference

Lancaster, one of American’s oldest inland cities, is rich in history and culture with much to explore. We’ll be there at just the right time of year to enjoy the fall festivals! Getting there is easy: there is an Amtrak station in Lancaster or hop into a carpool with your friends and fellow AAUW members!

We anticipate a fantastic program with entertainment, opportunities to learn and connect, hear from our national leaders, and strategize on encouraging the next generation of young leaders. Please contact Tracy Lantz, Carol Mueller or Heather Reichardt with your thoughts or suggestions!

Thank you AAUW Maryland leaders!

AAUW MD Elected Officers (Executive Board)

  • Heather Reichardt, President (2024-2026)
  • Tracy Lantz, Past President (2024-2025)
  • Vacant, Vice President for Programs (2024-2026) 
  • Vacant, Secretary (2023-2025)
  • Jeri Rhodes, Vice President for AAUW Funds (2024-2026)
  • Lydia Alcock and Susana Hernández Martín (2022-2026) and Susan Wierman (2022-2025), Co-Vice Presidents for Communications 
  • Roxann King (2021-2025) and Judy Carbone (2023-2025), Co-Vice Presidents for Public Policy
  • Christine Schmitz, Treasurer (2023-2025) 
  • Jeanne Blades Vice President for Membership (2023-2025) 

AAUW MD Committee Chairs (Appointed to Board)

  • Carolyn Fisher, Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (2022-2024)
  • Terry Saylor, Archivist (2022-2024)
  • Eileen Menton, Chair of the Bylaws Committee
  • ERA Taskforce Chair, Judy Carbone
  • 2025 Nominations Committee:  Anita Rosen (Kensington-Rockville), Bev Fallik (Howard County), and Edie Allison (Gaithersburg).  Susan Wierman (Baltimore) (past chair, ex officio).    
  • Each Branch President is also a member of the Board of Directors

2025 Calendar

  • March 17:  AAUW MD Advocacy Day in Annapolis
  • April 6: Mail your check to register for the State Convention by today to get the best rate.
  • April 7: Last day of 2025 Legislative Session
  • April 25: Pre-convention dinner at Il Porto in Gaithersburg
  • April 26: State Convention & Annual Meeting (Election of Officers) in Gaithersburg
  • July 26: AAUW MD Summer Meeting

2025 AAUW Maryland Annual Convention and Annual Meeting

Women Supporting Women:  Global Influences and Opportunities

Hosted by the Gaithersburg Branch of AAUW – MD

Saturday, April 26, 2025  |  Pathways Baptist Church 200 West Diamond Avenue, Gaithersburg MD 20877  |  Directions to Pathways Baptist Church

Event Registration:   Online Registration  |  Paper Registration Form

Come together with like-minded women from around the state to discuss local and global issues and explore opportunities for women’s economic security. This event is a great opportunity to network, share experiences, and learn from each other. Let’s learn about how to help make a positive impact locally and globally!

Event Agenda:

  • 8:30 AM – Registration & Continental Breakfast
  • 9:00 AM – Welcome
        • Edie Allison, AAUW Gaithersburg Branch
        • Heather Reichardt, AAUW Maryland President
        • Jud Ashman, Mayor of Gaithersburg
  • 9:15 AM – The Challenges and Joys of Immigrating to the US
        • Speaker: Delegate Lily Qi
          Born in Shanghai, China, Lily Qi grew up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She immigrated to the US in 1989, became a US citizen in 1999, and now represents the 15th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. She previously served as a chief administrator for economic development under Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.
  • 10:00 AM – Break
  • 10:15 AM – Panel Discussion: Women Supporting Women Domestically and Globally
        • Panelist: Bria Marie Hodge, Director of Small Business Development, Latino Economic Development Center.
          The LED’s mission is to serve as a catalyst that drives the economic and social advancement of low-to-moderate income Latinos and other underserved communities.
        • Panelist: Robyn Nietert, President, Women’s Microfinance Initiative
          WMI promotes women’s economic participation through small loans and carries the hope of prosperity to poor, rural areas of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
        • Moderator: Kate Stevenson, former Co-President, Maryland AAUW
  • 11:15 AM – Women Supporting Women: Results from the Maryland Legislative Session
        • Speaker: Roxann King, AAUW Maryland Vice President for Public Policy
  • 12:00 PM – New Officer Voting & Installation
  • 12:30 PM – Lunch
  • 1:15 PM – Business Meeting (separate agenda to be provided)
  • 4:00 PM – Adjourn

Documents:

  1. 2025 Convention Speaker Bios
  2. 2025 Annual Meeting Agenda
  3. President’s Report
  4. Treasurer’s Report
  5. State Membership Report
  6. Programs Report
  7. Funds Report
  8. Diversity Chair Report
  9. Communications Report
  10. Bylaws Report
  11. Public Policy Report
  12. ERA Taskforce Report
  13. Nominating Committee Report
  14. Atlantic Regional Conference Flyer

Spring ’24 Marylander

Volume 92 #4, Spring 2024
President, Tracy Lantz  |  Editor, Susan Wierman  |  email:  aauw-md@aauw.org

Click here to download the PDF version of this issue.

Table of Contents:

  1. Welcome Message: A Warm Invitation to Learn, Grow, and Do
  2. Save the Date: Baltimore Branch Hosts AAUW-MD Summer Meeting
  3. 2024 AAUW MD Spring Convention
  4. Election of State Officers at 2024 Convention Annual Meeting
  5. Required Changes to the AAUW Maryland & Branch Bylaws
  6. President’s Message
  7. Equal Rights Amendment Task Force Update
  8. Preliminary Legislative Updates
  9. Honor Dian Belanger and Support Leadership Training
  10. Membership Matters!  Be On the Look-Out!
  11. Gaithersburg Branch Annual Used-Book Sale is Coming – April 11-13, 2024
  12. Garrett County Branch Report
  13. Celebrate Women’s History Month
  14. Mark Your Calendar!
  15. Attachments

A Warm Invitation to Learn, Grow, and Do

From Dian Belanger and Maritsa George, Co-Presidents, Kensington-Rockville Branch

We welcome you, on behalf of the Kensington-Rockville Branch, to the AAUW Maryland 2024 Convention on Saturday, April 20th! We are excited to host this event in the Cultural Arts Center of Ingleside at King Farm, which offers every amenity in a spacious setting—as you might recall from our summer conference there in 2022. AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell plans to be with us.

In this pivotal year for our nation, our astute state programmers will focus on vital issues of public policy, voting, and education, as well as honor selected women of global achievement. We will be informed, stimulated, and inspired to do what must be done.

Do join us, too, for a casual social dinner together at Farmsook (that word means “happiness” we’re told) Thai Kitchen on Friday evening, April 19th. It’s just two walkable blocks from Ingleside on King Farm Boulevard and a lovely venue for catching up with old friends—and making new ones.

A nearby and comfy hotel is under contract for those who want to overnight at an AAUW discount rate of $124.00 plus tax per double. This includes a hot breakfast. Each of the rooms has two queen-sized beds . Parking is free and plentiful at the hotel. Light refreshments and lunch are included in your Registrations Fee.  The LAST day to reserve a hotel room at the $124.00 rate is FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2024.

Comfort Inn, Shady Grove-Gaithersburg, MD
(301) 330-0023
16216 Frederick Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-3502

We look forward to bringing our shared passions to productive use and the pleasure of your company!  Please see preliminary details of the Convention program below and the registration form and map at the end of this issue of the Marylander.


Save the Date:  Baltimore Branch Hosts AAUW-MD Summer Meeting July 20th

From Janice Zimmerman and Denise Gray, Co-Presidents, AAUW Baltimore

The Baltimore Branch is busy preparing to host the summer AAUW-MD summer meeting. The Branch recently joined Maryland Nonprofits and we will be hosting the meeting in their meeting rooms, located at 1500 Union Avenue, Baltimore.

As we say in Baltimore, we look forward to seeing you in July, hon!

2024 AAUW Maryland Spring Convention

Know Your Maryland Public Policies – Be an Educated Voter!
Saturday, April 20, 2024

Cultural Arts Center of Ingleside at King Farm
701 King Farm Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850

With the 2024 election cycle right around the corner from the AAUW Maryland Spring Convention, we will focus on becoming educated about several public policy and voting issues.   It is very important to understand what is happening state-wide on the voting front.  We can then provide accurate information to our family and friends for the upcoming elections.  Presentation topics will include:

  • Learn how Ranked Choice Voting can work to even the playing field in local elections from Dr. Brianna Smith, Assoc. Professor, Political Science, U.S. Naval Academy (invited)
  • Discuss AAUW priorities with AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell
  • Hear final results from the Maryland General Assembly Session
  • Get the latest news on the Equal Rights Amendment from Liliana Katz-Hollander of the Young Feminists Party

Additionally, we will celebrate International Women’s Day, which was March 8.  We would like each branch to select an outstanding woman, current or historic, from the United States or abroad, to present briefly during our lunch break.  Ideally, we will have a PowerPoint presentation where a member from each branch can talk for a few minutes about their chosen woman hero!

Find the registration form and a map of the Ingleside at King Farm Complex later in this Marylander. You can also click here for more information and to register online.

In addition to these program elements, the convention will include the AAUW Maryland Annual Meeting, where you may vote to elect officers and receive reports from officers and committees.


Election of State Officers at 2024 Convention Annual Meeting

From Susan Wierman, Kate Campbell Stevenson, Bev Fallik, and Pat Stocker, AAUW MD 2024 Nominating Committee

The 2024 Nominating Committee is pleased to recommend that you elect the following officers for the July 2024-June 2026 term:

  • Vice President, Programs:  Heather Reichardt (Gaithersburg)
  • Vice President for AAUW Funds:  Jeri Rhodes (Kensington-Rockville)
  • Co-Vice Presidents, Communications:  Lydia Alcock & Susana Hernandez-Martin (Baltimore)

Further, 2024 Nominating Committee recommends that you elect the following members of the 2025 Nominating committee:

  • Anita Rosen (Kensington-Rockville), Bev Fallik (Howard County), and Edie Allison (Gaithersburg).  Susan Wierman will serve ex officio as past chair of the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee is seeking a nominee to be Co-President with Tracy Lantz.  As provided in the AAUW MD Bylaws, lacking timely nominees as this Marylander goes to press, the Nominating Committee announces that the terms of the following current officers will continue until their successors have been appointed by the Board or elected by the AAUW MD membership:

  • President:  Tracy Lantz (Kensington-Rockville)
  • Co-Vice President, Communications:  Susan Wierman (Baltimore)

Additional nominations may be made at the Annual Meeting with the consent of the nominee.  Please note that the following officers’ terms do not expire until June 30, 2025, so these positions are not presented for a vote this year, and we thank them for their continued service:

  • Christine Schmitz, Treasurer
  • Diane Roca, Secretary
  • Roxann King and Judy Carbone, Co-Vice Presidents, Public Policy
  • Jeanne Blades, Vice President, Membership

Required Changes to the AAUW Maryland & Branch Bylaws

By Diane Roca, AAUW Maryland Bylaws Chair

Branch Presidents received an email on February 28 explaining the mandatory revision to branch bylaws. That message is repeated here to facilitate distribution to all members.  References to branch bylaws in this article also apply to state bylaws.

In spring 2023, the AAUW national office presented revised bylaws for the national organization, and they were approved by the membership.   Some provisions apply to the branches, and this message will guide branches in amending their bylaws to conform to the new version.

Please note that this is the 2023 bylaws revision, NOT the 2024 proposed bylaw for Open Membership presented in January 2024.   Members will be voting on that issue later starting April 3.

Branch bylaws have two parts.  The first seven sections describe the branch’s relationship with the national organization.  The remaining sections are developed by the members as needed for the smooth operation of the branch.   What branches need to replace are the first seven sections. The required action is straightforward:  Delete from your bylaws the sections referring to the branch relationship with the national organization and replace them with the 2024 version.

The new material includes Name and Governance; Purpose; Use of Name; Members; AAUW Affiliates; Parliamentary Authority; Amendments to the Bylaws.  Place a note at the end of the bylaws reading, “Mandatory revision March 2024.”   NOTE: Your Board and your members do not need to vote to approve this new material because it is mandatory.  This link will explain the changes to you.

In case you cannot locate a copy of your branch bylaws,  let me (Diane Roca) know.   I will send you the bylaws of one or two Maryland branches that you can copy and adapt for your own.

We have until May 2026 to complete this work.  If you have questions, I will be glad to answer them.  Contact me at dbroca@comcast.net or 443-255-1628.

Photo taken at the AAUW Fall Meeting in Bethesda: Heather Reichardt (Co-VP Programs), Tracy Lantz (AAUW MD President), Almeta E. Cooper (Speaker from Mom’s Clean Air Force), and Jacki Gray (Co-VP Programs)

President’s Message

By Tracy Lantz, President, AAUW Maryland

I’ve always felt that AAUW is a welcoming organization and I’ve been very proud of our initiatives and work on so many fronts including supporting important legislative action and educational opportunities for women and girls. I am sure you feel the same way.

I know we all have concerns about how to grow our organization as do many similar women’s organizations. This is not an easy task. But we need to continue to tell ourselves that we can’t keep doing things the way they have always been done. We must continue to be open to new ways to contact and recruit members, to accept new outlooks, leadership styles and priorities from new members and of course we must embrace new technology!

At the branch level and the state level we need to embrace social media and new ways to communicate. We must invite people to our meetings who aren’t already receiving the Marylander or our branch newsletters. Folks do search our websites; we need to keep them up to date! Link to your monthly newsletter, create your meetings in Eventbrite and share, share, share on social media, invite folks from your community to participate in your programs.

We’ve already had guests that we have never met in person join us for state meetings only because they searched the web, found us, and decided our program looked interesting! Many of our branches have Facebook and/or Instagram pages. Let’s make that true for all the branches in our state! Encourage your members to join these platforms and share AAUW posts with their contacts. Contact me if you need assistance.

We’ve got so much to be proud of and to share with our communities! I am so very pleased with our recent work collaborating with so many other vital women’s organizations including VoteEquality, Maryland NOW, the Young Feminist Party (formerly Generation Ratify), MERAN, Free State Justice and The Feminist Uprising! All these groups have come to us knowing we have something special to offer. Let’s keep up the great work!

We’ve had great participation at the ERA 100th Anniversary March on Washington on December 13th and again at the ERA Rally in Annapolis on February 19th. This was truly a fabulous turnout!  We combined the Annapolis rally with Lobby Day supported by 16 of our members representing the Gaithersburg, Baltimore, Kensington-Rockville, Garrett, Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Easton branches.

I’ve been interacting with AAUW leaders in other states in the past few weeks. Some states and branches have fabulous web pages that are up to date with the latest activities and newsletters, showcasing how involved they are in their communities and in initiatives that impact women and girls. Let’s make sure our websites shine, too!

One of the biggest benefits of AAUW for me was learning to be a leader in a safe and supportive environment. I know there are young people out there who could use the same support. Let’s invite them to get to know who we are in the ways that they are already communicating.

If we have members with other ideas for reaching out, I would love to hear from them!

And don’t forget – my goal for the upcoming State Convention on April 20th is that every branch invites at least 10 people from your community to attend. We have a special discounted rate for guests and for students.

Tracy Lantz, AAUW Maryland President

Some of the members at the rally February 19:  Teresa Freligh, Sheila Allen, Heather Reichardt, Tracy Lantz, Kate Campbell Stevenson, Janice Zimmerman, Dorothy Fraquelli, Susan Wierman, Judy Carbone

Equal Rights Amendment Task Force Update

By: Judy Carbone, AAUW MD ERA Task Force Chair

The ERA Task Force Members — Judy Carbone (Chair), Karina Shipps, and Susan Crawford — are working on our primary goal of educating and informing our members and supporters about the Equal Rights Amendment, its history, its current status, and what we can do to move it forward. We are focused on five areas:

  1. Get the word out to Eastern Shore and other District 1 AAUW members, encouraging them to put pressure on Representative Andy Harris to support the House bills to remove the arbitrary deadline and recognize the ERA.  Emails asked members to contact Rep. Harris.
  2. Publish details on AAUW-Maryland Social Media about ERA-related actions.  We continue posting on the AAUW-Maryland Facebook page and will explore other social media apps to use or at least share content from.
  3. Create a Toolkit for branches to be able to use for presentations if opportunities arise (also a possible recruitment activity) and encourage branches to contact area colleges for opportunities to host a table for outreach about ERA.  This task is becoming a little more daunting than we had anticipated, but Susan Crawford is working on it.  We discussed maybe providing training for branch members who want to give presentations and/or set up table displays.
  4. Present a workshop at NCCWSL on the ERA — we are a go!!  Judy and Karina will prepare a program outline.  Judy is the primary contact with NCCWSL on this presentation.  We will be intentional about what we plan and get feedback on and from whom, and how we move forward.
  5. Engage in advocacy work with MERAN (Maryland Equal Rights Action Network) for the Maryland ERA Reaffirming Resolution. (See photos of the ERA Rally in Annapolis.) Judy is the AAUW-Maryland representative and is working with MERAN to move the MD resolution bills forward. The Joint Resolution Bills are:  HJ001, the primary sponsors of which are Delegate Edith Patterson and Delegate Leslie Lopez, and SJ0001 with Senator Ariana Kelly as the primary sponsor.  All branch members are asked to encourage sponsorship and support from their Delegates and State Senators.  We got word on 2/29/24 that SJ0001 passed out of the JPR Committee with bipartisan support (only Senator West voted no).  HJ001 had its first committee hearing the first week in March as this Marylander was in preparation.

Please contact Judy with any questions at judy@corgi-cottage.com or at 301-616-5036.  And if you haven’t already done so, please sign the petition at www.sign4era.org and get everyone you know across the country to do the same!!

Speakers’ platform at the ERA rally in Annapolis Feb. 19.  Camila Reynolds-Dominguez and Judy Carbone at the podium.  Seated in front are Senator Ariana Kelly and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller.

Former US Senator Carolyn Maloney; MD Delegate Edith Patterson, Ed.D. President, Women Legislators of MD; and Senator Ariana Kelly at the podium.

 

Preliminary Legislative Updates

By Roxann King, Public Policy Co-Vice President

This has been a very different year from the previous year for us in the Maryland General Assembly. The crossover date, March 18, is fast approaching and many of our bills are still in committee in the first chamber. At this writing, only three bills have passed the first chamber and are now in committee in the second chamber.

  • The bill that prohibits sexual solicitation of a minor using the internet for the purpose of pornography has passed the Senate 46-0.
  • The bill that would classify home care workers who work through agencies as employees of the agency rather than contract workers has passed the House of Delegates 101-37.
  • The bill that would extend the legal protections passed last year for reproductive care to gender affirming care passed the Senate 33-13.
  • The End-of-Life Options bill seems to be dead this session, despite having many legislative sponsors. In the Senate there are concerns about safeguards. Eleven states have adopted it, all using the same format. Here is a link to a brief description of the bill as all states are using it: https://deathwithdignity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/dwd-media-kit-background202310.26.pdf. If it is not adopted this year, it will be considered again.
  • The Wage Transparency bill is important to enabling paycheck fairness, an AAUW priority. It is still in committee.
  • Our support for improving Emergency Room wait time continues with support for the Safe Staffing bill.

Much time was spent during the first two weeks of the session dealing with the budget shortfall. The shortfall may influence those bills requiring new expenses. For now, we need to continue writing or calling committee members urging support for our bills.

Getting out the Vote is very important this election year. To this end AAUW is hosting a series of short webinars to help branches with vote-related activities: April 17, May 9, June 26, August 8, August 21, October 16. Topics include policy priorities, voter registration, developing materials, using social media, and others. The webinars will be available online to all.

Key dates to plan events around are July 31, 100 days until the election; September 17, National Voter Registration Day; October 1 – 4, National Voter Education Week; October 29, National Vote Early Date; and November 5, Election Day. There are more women voters than men. We seriously need to get out the vote. We need to ask questions of candidates about issues that affect women and girls. The ERA needs to be an election issue. Equal pay should be an issue as well.

Honor Dian Belanger and Support Leadership Training

By: Bea Dane; AAUW Maryland Vice President, AAUW Funds

The 2024 AAUW National College Conference of Women of Student Leaders or NCCWSL will be held on May 30-June 1, 2024, at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.  For more than 30 years, AAUW has organized this annual gathering offering a dynamic meeting place for leadership opportunities, networking, and inspiration. This amazing event attracts young women from all over the United States with close to 500 colleges sending participants.

Dian Belanger

As a Platinum Sponsor of the event, AAUW Maryland has the opportunity to have a Maryland Woman of Distinction present at the event.  Dian Belanger is this year’s MD Woman of Distinction.

Dian will be honored at the 2024 NCCWSL event on May 31st.  The event takes place from 7:30-10pm at the University of Maryland, College Park. It is always an exciting and exhilarating event!   Please let Bea know by May 1st if you wish to attend.

AAUW MD must raise funds to honor Dian.  If you have not yet donated to the WoD fund, please consider doing so now.   Donating on-line is preferable to ensure that nothing gets lost in the mail, but instructions for both are below:

To donate online:

  • Go to aauw.org
  • Click on the big red Donate button on the upper right corner
  • Scroll down past the NCCWSL option until you see:
  • 4355-Maryland Women of Distinction (NCCWSL) Fund
  • Click on Count Me In
  • You will then be asked to login or create a new account
  • This will bring you to the donation page
  • Choose the amount you wish to donate
  • Complete the other required information and checkout

To donate by check:

  • Make your check out to AAUW.
  • On the check put the fund name and number: 4355-Maryland Women of Distinction (NCCWSL) Fund
  • Mail to:  AAUW, 1310 L Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, D.C.  20005

All donations to this fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  Donations may be arranged through your retirement fund or donor-advised fund.

If you have any questions, please contact Bea Dane at bea_dane@comcast.net

Thanks to all the donors listed below!

These early donations had been received as of about March 12

Edith Allison
Dian Belanger
Lia Belanger Book
Walter Burgess
Renee Carlson
Beatrice Dane
Dorothy Fraquelli
Maritsa George
Carol Graves
Lynn Hapchuk
Beth Hayden
Ella Iams
Howard Iams
Tracy Lantz
Bernadette Low
Ruth Manchester
Eileen Menton		 Anna Palmisano
Veronica Roberts
Sharon Robinson
Diane Roca
Anita Rosen
Terry Sayler
Christine Schmitz
Ruth Spivack
Kate Campbell Stevenson
Patricia Stocker
Susan Wierman
AAUW Maryland
AAUW Baltimore Branch
AAUW Harford County
AAUW Howard County
AAUW Kensington-Rockville
AAUW Northern Ocean County NJ

Membership Matters!  Be On the Look-Out!

From Jeanne Blades, Membership Vice President

As we move through the upcoming year, you’ll obviously want to renew your membership at some point.  Currently, depending on when you initially joined AAUW, your membership renewal date may vary from a fellow member.  If you initially joined AAUW before February 2022, your membership runs from June 30th of one year to June 29th of the following year.  However, if you joined after that date, your membership runs for an entire year from that point in time.  So, if you joined April 1st, your membership is good until March 31st of the following year.

Confused?  Don’t worry.  National headquarters at AAUW sends out a reminder to each member about 2 weeks before their membership expires.  However, sometimes this may go to your spam or junk mail by accident, so please check those mailboxes as well.

Christine Schmitz, our AAUW Maryland Treasurer, also reminds us that if you are not sure if you have renewed your dues, you can look up your membership on the National website at http://www.aauw.org.    Just log in and scroll down to the “Join On” and “Member Thru” dates at the bottom of your Personal Snapshot page.  Of course, the “Member Thru” date will also tell you when to start keeping a look-out for the renewal email mentioned above.  You can also reach out to your branch treasurer or to Christine Schmitz at dialacpa@aol.com or contact Jeanne Blades, AAUW Maryland Membership VP, at jeanmarieb@gmail.com for this information as well.

BRANCH ACTIVITIES

Gaithersburg Branch Annual Used-Book Sale is Coming – April 11-13, 2024

By Edie Allison

The Gaithersburg branch annual used-book sale, which began about 50 years ago, will resume in April at Asbury Methodist Village after being suspended due to Covid. Proceeds from the sale provide scholarships for deserving female students at Montgomery College and The Universities at Shady Grove, and support AAUW-US educational funds and activities.

Everyone is invited to help us make this the most successful ever: tell your friends and plan to get books for friends and relatives. The popular History, Children’s and Fiction Sections are well categorized for easy perusing.

We all take pride in the funds raised by our branch for scholarships. The students who receive the scholarships are Role Models of the Future. They have been generally near the top of their class and are often the first in their families to attend or graduate from college. They frequently face challenges as their families struggle to support them attending college. Their interests are broad, but their leadership potential has been evident.

Schedule:   

Thursday, April 11, 9 am to 8 pm
Friday, April 12, 9 am to 8 pm (Senior Discount Day)
Saturday, April 12, 9 am to 4 pm (Reduced per-bag price)

Location:   Rosborough Center, Bldg. 409, Asbury Methodist Village, Gaithersburg, MD 20977

Enter the Campus at 301 Odendhal Avenue Gatehouse

For More Information contact: Edie Allison, edieallison@gmail.com or text 301-231-0109

Garrett County Branch Report

By Judy A. Carbone, Branch President

We’ve had a quiet last few months in our branch.  In October, we closed the End-of-the-Line Used Bookstore for the season.  Our little boxcar bookstore at the Train Station in Oakland has been open for almost 20 seasons and has raised over $55,000 for women and girls’ programs in Garrett County (some through AAUW, some through the Girl Scouts).  We will open again as usual in May for the 2024 season.

In late October we held a branch meeting where we welcomed some potential members and talked about possible future activities and recruiting members for committees and leadership.  We also had several social get-togethers for members and friends, including a High Tea in September and a Cocktails & Convos in November that had to be rescheduled due to snow, only to have the rescheduled date also encounter snow, but we held it anyway.  In January, we held a session on the ERA and brought our members up to date on what it’s going to take to bring it across the finish line and finally recognize it as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  We’ve also been active with informing our members and supporters about MLAW bills that need support and asking them to write and/or call committee members, their senators, and/or their delegates as appropriate.

We will begin our scholarship application process for our five various scholarships.  Last year, we gave out more than $7,000 in scholarships to women students in our two high schools, at Garrett College, those transferring to 4 years institutions from Garrett College, and at Allegany College who are Garrett County students studying allied health.  We are on track to give substantially more in terms of awarded scholarship money in 2024.  On March 8th, we will be celebrating International Women’s Day and recognizing (definitely not celebrating) the 2024 Equal Pay Day with a Cocktails & Convos event.  Our Annual General Membership Meeting will be held on May 22.

The biggest challenge facing our branch is new leadership.  Our Executive Committee members and Committee Leaders have been in their positions for many years, longer than even allowed in our Bylaws, and they are getting tired.  Several (if not all) will not seek new terms.  We continue to try to recruit, but a lack of active leadership participation is leading to fewer activities which in turn is leading to people hesitant to step forward for leadership.  It is a challenge that other branches, we know, are also facing.

Celebrate Women’s History Month

The National Women’s History Alliance has adopted the theme for 2024 “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”

On March 21, 2024, the Maryland Commission for Women will induct five extraordinary women into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, and five exceptional students will receive the Maryland Young Women Leaders Awards.  Visit www.marylandwomen.org, on March 21 for more information on the five Hall of Fame honorees:

  • The Honorable Adrienne Jones, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
  • The Honorable Susan Lee, Maryland Secretary of State
  • The Honorable Brooke Lierman, Maryland Comptroller
  • The Honorable Aruna Miller, Maryland Lieutenant Governor
  • The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Emerita

Maryland Women Face Persistent Wage Gaps

As Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller was quoted by the Baltimore Sun, the Maryland Department of Labor report released March 12, “pours a whole lot of sunlight on the gender pay gap.”  The Department illuminated trends and details from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data for 2008 through 2022.  A few details are included here.

Comparing overall five-year averages, Maryland women are paid more than women nationwide, but the gains from 2008-12 through 2018-2022 have been just a few pennies.  The variation by race and ethnicity is notable.  Maryland’s Black or African American women are paid a penny less for every dollar than their nationwide counterparts, and Maryland’s American Indian and Alaska Native Women earn twenty cents less for every dollar than their nationwide counterparts.

The report also found variation among counties:  Women in Prince George’s County earned $1.08 for every dollar paid to men!  Baltimore City ($0.95 per dollar) was the only other county to exceed the state average of $0.86 per dollar. Montgomery County women equaled the state average (as did Maryland Asian women) . All other counties were below the state average.  You can see the full report at https://www.labor.maryland.gov/labor/wages/equalpaydayreport.pdf.

Mark Your Calendar!

  • On or before April 1st  Make your donation to the NCCWSL Maryland Woman of Distinction fund in honor of our 2024 Woman of Distinction Dian Belanger. Our goal is a donation of $25 per member and $35 from each board member.
  • April 20th AAUW MD Spring Convention hosted by the Kensington-Rockville branch in Rockville Maryland. Dinner Friday April 19 at Farmsook Thai Kitchen.  Convention begins Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Signup at Eventbrite or mail registration form (below) by April 6 for best rate.
  • May 14 Maryland Primary Election (Early voting May 2 through May 9 in the county where you live.)  Registered voters have always been able to vote during early voting, but now individuals who are eligible but not yet registered can register and vote.  To register and vote during early voting, go to an early voting center in the county where you live and bring a document that proves where you live. This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card, or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and new address. You will be able to register to vote and vote.  See the State Board of Elections website for more information.
  • June 22 1pm Transition Board Meeting at Christine Schmitz’ home in Sykesville.
  • July 20th  AAUW MD Summer Conference hosted by AAUW Baltimore at the Maryland Nonprofits Headquarters in Baltimore.  The Maryland Nonprofits organization helps nonprofits throughout Maryland collaborate, share best practices, and work to improve the quality of life in Maryland.  See https://www.marylandnonprofits.org/about-maryland-nonprofits/ for details about this group.
  • September 27th-29th  AAUW Atlantic Regional Conference in Glen Allen, VA, at the Virginia Crossings Resort https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ricupup-virginia-crossings-hotel-and-conference-center/  This will be a fabulous location and an engaging conference. Our goal is to have at least two members per branch in attendance! Find a carpooler and we will see you there! This regional event will take the place of our usual fall meeting. Questions? Contact Carol Mueller carolaauw@gmail.com Dian Belanger dobelanger@comcast.net or Tracy Lantz tklantz@verizon.net

Attachments

  • Click here to download the registration form for the AAUW MD 2024 Convention.

Join Us at AAUW Maryland Lobby Day and Symposium – February 6

By:  Anita Rosen, AAUW Maryland Co-Vice President for Public Policy

Join us for an exciting day and evening too, in Annapolis, on February 6th.  Come to Lobby and attend a free symposium.

The day will begin for AAUW at 12:20p.m outside the Senate Building President Conference Center West 1.  AAUW folks will meet, coordinate, get materials and prep for quick visits with your Legislators. The materials will help you with meeting with  Legislator  visits on AAUW issues in Maryland, including the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW) which will be covered at the MLAW Conference on January 31st and will be shared with you on our AAUW Maryland webpage.  One other terrific bill we support is described elsewhere in this newsletter. It is an innovative initiative of the Howard County AAUW- the Extend Child Custody Support for Post-Secondary Education.

We will be co-hosting a symposium on several of our key issues and adding on an AAUW lobby day opportunity with the Women’s Economic Security Agenda Coalition (WESA). WESA was our collaborator and organizer for last year’s successful legislative session to expand Equal Pay.

The WESA Symposium, which is free of charge, will take place between 12:45-4 pm (at the latest). There will be several panels on such issues as Healthy Working Families Act (Earned Sick Days), Fight for $15 (minimum wage), Fair Work Week Initiative, and Affordable Child Care.

Information on bill numbers and strategies for advocacy will be provided and refreshments will be served. Numerous Legislators have been invited to drop in to speak and  network with you..

You should plan short lobby visits with your own Legislators during the symposium and afterward.  If you can, stay into the evening.  Monday evenings are prime time to make appointments and see legislators!

This is your chance to share one or two important issues we support. It is easy to do, and you will get tips on how to have a quick “chat” with Legislators or their staff to let them know that AAUW Maryland cares about the quality of life for women and families in Maryland.

Register for the free Symposium on line at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maryland-womens-economic-security-agenda-symposium-tickets-30472567269

Let me know you will be attending our Lobby Day. I hope to see many of you there to give visibility to AAUW Maryland and to make our voices heard about really important issues for women and families in Maryland. If you have questions, email me (anitarosen123 at gmail.com).

Changing the Climate for Women and Girls in Maryland

As summer comes to a close, I am excited to see the commitment of AAUW Maryland members who are working to change the climate for women and girls in Maryland.  At the June and July board meetings, members agreed to a series of action items to enhance the State’s role of recruitment and retention through advocacy and education.

We will increase member participation and AAUW-Maryland visibility in the Public Policy area by advocating for Post-Secondary Education Child Support Supplement, a Howard County Branch initiative; support other AAUW priorities , including Fair Scheduling, Sick Leave, and Equal Pay; get out the Vote; and advocate for Title IX; encourage each branch to have a Title IX Coordinator.  During the upcoming legislative session, we are planning a “Day in Annapolis” for AAUW-Maryland members.

We will increase state membership by 10% by establishing an on-line Maryland community that will target national members and AAUW Maryland members whose branches have been disbanded;  increasing visibility of AAUW-Maryland at local, regional and state events; creating a state brochure; and forging relationships with like-minded organizations, the military community, and women’s professional groups.

Finally, we will promote communications and celebrate AAUW Maryland’s 75th Anniversary in April 2017.  We will encourage every branch to send members to the National Convention in Washington, D.C. in June 2017; continue to be the platinum sponsor of the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) Women of Distinction Ceremony and increase publicity about NCCWSL to branches and colleges/universities; and begin a Start Smart Initiative.

I encourage all members to attend the October 15 state meeting in Bethesda.  Our guest speakers will be Kate Black , from the  Younger Women’s Task Force DC,  an initiative to involve members who are under 40 in  AAUW’s mission.  She will discuss the Start Smart/ Work Smart Program, their work on salary negotiation, and the successes and challenges they faced.  And we will hear form two dynamic women student leaders who will share their experiences at NCCWSL. Early Bird” registration must be postmarked by October 1st.   More information.

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Creating a Vision for AAUW Maryland 2016-2018

AAUW Maryland members are developing a vision and action plan for the next two years with the theme – recruitment and retention through advocacy and education.  We started the process at the Transition Board meeting on June 25 and will continue at the State Summer Leadership Conference and Board meeting on Saturday July 23, 2017 at Severna Park United Methodist Church, 731 Benefield Road, Severna Park, MD 21146.  We will start the day with a keynote address by Claudia Richards, Senior Branch Relations Manager at AAUW National, and then move into the planning process.  Our goal for the day is an action plan.

Be part of the process for ensuring that AAUW-Maryland is changing the climate for women and girls in Maryland.  Registration is underway.  The early bird rate ends July 9.   More information about the Summer Leadership Conference in the Marylander.

Maryland Enacts Equal Pay Bill Supported by AAUW

“This law is a major step toward closing the pay gap that affects so many women in the state of Maryland,” said Anita Rosen, co-state public policy chair of AAUW-Maryland. “We know that equal pay is not simply a women’s issue, it is a family issue and an economic issue. Wages lost to the pay gap mean less money in women’s pockets which results in less money for buying a home, an education, or saving for retirement. Women and their families can’t wait for equal pay. But this new law provides a major tool in their fair pay arsenal.”

bill signingThank you AAUW Marylanders! Without AAUW, Anita Rosen would not have had the opportunity to stand behind Governor Hogan as he signed SB 481 / HB 1003 The Equal Pay bill on Thursday, May 19th.  And standing next to her was Senator Susan Lee, a member of Kensington-Rockville AAUW. Senator Lee was the main sponsor of the Senate bill, who spoke eloquently for it at the committee hearing, and worked so effectively with some many partners to make Maryland one of the most progressive states in the United States in regard to Pay Equity legislation, eliminating barriers to Equity such as the “employer Defense” loophole and prohibiting retaliation against sharing salary and job information. Thanks to AAUW’s national staff who supplied legislative alerts,  research data, and materials that helped make our case.  Thanks to the our coalition partner, Working Families, who invited  Senator Lee and Anita Rosen to speak at the Press Conference in front of the State House before the bill signing.  And thanks to the  AAUW Action Network supporters who sent over 100 messages to the governor urging him to sign the bill.

Kate Nielson of the National AAUW staff attended the bill signing and press conference. It was her first bill signing as well as Anita’s!  But it certainly was not Senator Lee’s first – she has successfully sponsored a number of bills that help make Maryland a better place for women, children and families.

 

Equal Pay Day – Tuesday April 12

By:  Anita Rosen & Louise Chatlynne, AAUW MD Public Policy Vice Presidents

Tuesday, April 12th is Equal Pay Day.  That’s the date on which the average woman works to earn as much as her male counterpart did by last December. This unequal pay affects women and their families while they are working and affects them as they age, since Social Security and other retirement benefits are based on earnings.  Plan to “recognize” Equal Pay Day by:

  1. Letting everyone you see or meet with on April 12 know it is Equal Pay Day and that women deserve equal pay.
  2. Reading the Simple Truth from AAUW to get the facts about equal pay at: The Simple Truth
  3. Contacting Governor Hogan and ask him to sign the Equal Pay for Equal Work bill that was passed by both the Maryland House and Senate (HB1003 & SB481) to eliminate barriers to equal pay.  Call him at 401-974-3901 or 1-800-811-8331. 

Apply to be on an AAUW Committee or Task Force by April 25, 2016

 Do you want to take an AAUW webactive part in AAUW? Do you have experience and expertise in the work of an AAUW committee or task force?

AAUW is looking for enthusiastic and responsible leaders. The work carried out by committees and task forces is the cornerstone of AAUW accomplishments. Active participation in AAUW committees and task forces enables participants to grow as leaders as AAUW advances its mission.

Committee or task force appointment by the national board is for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2016. Members may be re-appointed for another two-year term. Applicants may apply for no more than two committees/task forces.

Please view the link below to read about the opportunities available and apply. Applications will be accepted through Monday,April 25, 2016.

https://www.aauw.org/…/committee-task-force-volunteer-appli…/