• President's Message
• Slate of Nominees
• Public Policy Report
• AAUW Proposed Budget
• VP Membership Report
• By-Laws Report
• Communications Report
• NCCWSL Update
• Cast Your Vote - Ballot
• Branch Hi-Lights

Dear Members,

I hope you and your families are well. These are strange and difficult times. I think we’re all doing the best we can, whatever our individual circumstances, and that’s all we can do. On behalf of the entire Board, we want you to know that we’re thinking about you and we hope you’re doing fine.

I have some information and updates for you:

1. The AAUW Regional Convention has been postponed to June 2021. If you already registered for the Convention and/or booked a hotel room in East Moline, you should already have received your refund and hotel room cancellation. Note that you’ll be asked, at some point soon, to indicate your interest in attending a 2021 Regional Convention, just to see what kind of registration response might be expected. It will just be an "interest" poll.
2. The AAUW MN State Board will meet electronically on April 25th. Those of you who agreed to be delegates, along with state board members, a College/University delegate or past president my cast your vote for new State Board Officers, the State budget by midnight on April 24th. Note that there are no bylaws or standing rules changes to consider this year.
3. Voting delegates, please note that instructions and information for this electronic vote from Cyndy Harrison, State Communications Coordinator is located in this communication.
4. Prior to April 25th, all members will receive convention booklet-type information, including Board Officer Nominee Bios; year-end financial information; Branch Reports; and Annual Board Member Reports. Following the electronic Board Meeting on April 25th, all members will receive voting results, a delegate-approved 2020-2021 budget; and any other relevant information from that meeting, through the State Pine Newsletter and on the State website.
5. Each Branch is responsible for informing its non-email members and providing appropriate paper copies, of the information contained
6. Lastly, PLEASE read the Pine. Many Board and Committee members provide important updates in their articles. If you have questions, please contact the appropriate person to best provide you with an answer.

Be careful out there. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Help someone in need, if you can. Stay safe and healthy. I really miss not being able to see many of you at a State Convention or Annual Meeting.

~ Lisa

April Quote: “We are at our finest when we take care of each other.” ~ Katherine Carter

Pat is a member of the Hastings Branch. As a 40+ year member of AAUW, she has shown her dedication to AAUW by serving as Branch President, Secretary, Newsletter Editor, and Program Chair. At the State level, Pat served as Vice President of Program for two years.

Pat is a retired Medical Technologist with a BA degree from the College of St Teresa, Winona MN and a Medical Technology Certificate from St Joseph's Hospital, St Paul. Pat’s career was spent at Ramsey Hospital, St Paul, Regina Hospital, Hastings and lastly at VA, Minneapolis as Coordinator of Quality Assurance and Education.

Linda has been a member of the Minneapolis Branch of AAUW since 2008. She has served as branch Secretary, Program Development Assistant, and member of the Nominating Committee. She currently chairs the Bylaws Committee and is Secretary of the Scholarship Board.

Linda received her B.A. from Carleton College and M.A. from United Theological Seminary. Professionally, she has been a social studies teacher, legal secretary, paralegal, and church administrator. Prior to retirement, she served as secretary for the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Anne has been the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN since 2015. She manages all functions of the student affairs area at the college which entails the management of over 35 professional employees. Anne has been fiscally responsible in her role working to operate efficiently and effectively while developing strategies to increase enrollment through student recruitment and retention. Anne has led the team in enrollment growth through both funnels of the enrollment process - new student recruitment and retention. She has been instrumental in securing two federal grants valuing over $6 million.

Previously Anne served as Interim Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College This role provided Anne with the opportunity to work on alignment between the two colleges in close collaboration with the college president. Anne served as an Academic Dean at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, MN for eleven years prior to associate vice president level appointments. Anne earned her Master in Business Administration degree in 1989 from the University of Illinois in Springfield, IL and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Psychology in 1987 from Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO.

Anne currently serves on the national AAUW Nominating Committee. She has been the Minnesota State AAUW College/University Representative since 2017. Additionally, she has served on the AAUW state Nominating Committee. Anne was recently voted onto the Neighbors, Inc. Board of Directors in South St. Paul, MN. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, running, yoga, Pilates, and reading. Anne resides in Inver Grove Heights, MN with her husband. "I am excited to be nominated for the Vice President of Funds position as I believe this will allow me to share some of my strengths to further advance the mission of AAUW," said Anne.

Gail is currently serving on the AAUW MN Board as the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders aka NCCWSL coordinator and attended the NCCWSL conference in 2018. She was the AAUW MN Pine Editor 2013–2016. Gail is active in her AAUW Hastings Branch, currently serving as NCCWSL Chair. Past positions include VP Programs and AAUW Hastings Branch Twig newsletter editor.

Gail has a BS from Mankato State University and is a retired computer lab tech from the Hastings School District. She enjoys book club, volunteering at and buying for the Regina Hospital Gift shop, serving on the Regina Community Relations Board, taking OLLI classes and AAUW!

TERESA SAGEN

Nominating Committee 2020-2021

Teresa served as AAUW Minnesota Co-President from 2012-2014 and as Website Manager. She completed two terms on the AAUW Fundraising Committee. Teresa has been active in the Ely Branch as President, VP Public Policy, and VP Program, and is currently serving as Newsletter Editor.

Teresa earned a BA, MA and Ed.D. in English, Special Education, and Research from The University of Alabama. She retired after 30 years of teaching, most recently at The University of Iowa, and as an Iowa Educational Consultant. She continues to supervise student teachers in Northern MN.

Community involvement is important to Teresa. She is currently a member of Lake County SWCD Board of Supervisors, the Vermilion Community College Advisory Board, and continues her interest in protecting the pristine waters of the area by participating in the White Iron Chain of Lakes Association and in MPCA’s Core Team for the Rainy Headwaters.

AAUW-MINNESOTA BOARD REPORT

Annual Meeting – April 25, 2020

Name and Board Position: Jan Carey, VP Public Policy

Reporting Period: April 2019 - April 2020

After a successful Legislative Day & ERAMN rally in the Rotunda of the State Capitol on March 8, 2019, I expected the 2020 Legislative Day to be “a piece of cake”. Not to be, thanks to COVID-19. However, the planning committee, Mary Haltvick, Hilary Beste, Caroline Owens, Lisa West and me, continued with a new focus. We would disseminate all we planned, researched, and prepared and deliver to AAUW MN members via The PINE. The March issue of The PINE would be dedicated to all things Public Policy. With the information and guidance contain in articles written by committee members, our collective voices would still have the resources and abilities to be heard by legislators.

Goals accomplished & completed in 2019-20:

· engaged members and develop outreach strategies to AAUW National & State Public Policies and Issues

· attended AAUW national SPPC(State Public Policy Chairs) webinars

· coordinated information outreach and advocacy activities

· continued statewide Email communications to PP branch chairs

· provided Public Policy updates for publication in The Pine.

· provided Public Policy updates for the AAUW-MN website

· attended local/regional political candidate meet/greets

· published and reported AAUW MN public policy branch events and activities to AAUW national outreach publications

· visited branches and providing presentations to branches. (I welcome invitations);

· continued Public Policy Committee work and actions;

· planned a 2020 AAUW MN Legislative Day.

Visioning for 2020/21:

Using social networking and technology creates a strong channel for communicating AAUW Public Policy Priorities. Taking a cue from SPPC training sessions and the new national website, I envision an AAUW-MN Public Policy program that will invigorate members and promote advocacy through:

· selected features on the Public Policy page of the state website; such as hotlinks to Public

Policy webinars, video resources and tools;

· continued sharing of State Net Legislative tracking postings to branch chairs;

· continued communication with AAUW MN branch public policy chairs/contacts;

· creating & hosting AAUW-MN State Public Policy webinars;

· convening ZOOM meetings (or other online communication formats) with branch chairs.

Moving Forward – Collectively Advocating

Name and position: Deanna Ray Ensley, VP Programs

Reporting Period: July 5, 2019 – April 24, 2020

Annual Goal(s):

• Continue learning and honing my tasks as VP of Programs, serious consideration of how to increase membership and then how to get members to be more involved with our AAUW mission.
• Current quarter activities and accomplishments:
• Researching my new position on this board and it has been a steep learning curve for me
• Received seven AAUW grant requests applications with a due date extension of January 15, 2020. All awarded with the assistance of Dave Kirkwood, Mary Ann LucasHoux and Lisa West.
• Teleconferencing/planning for the 2020 AAUW Regional Convention June 18 – 20, 2020 in East Moline, Iowa. I worked on the budget development specifically. (Postponed.)

Upcoming activities:

Re-elected as Co-President of Grand Rapids AAUW Branch

Future plans:

• Continue learning and studying about my VP Programs position, then improving my performance.
• Continue working on the AAUW Regional Convention, then attending the convention.
• Work with Mary Ann in considering further changes to grant application process – for timeliness and clarity.
• Work on the 2021 AAUW Regional Convention planned for East Moline, Iowa.
• Concerns and items for Board discussion:
• The best way to encourage increased use of grant monies.
• How to interest younger woman to join our membership.

Name and Board Position: Peg Lonnquist, VP Membership

Reporting Period: April 2019 - April 2020

Accomplishments:

• Routed several membership applications/inquiries to branch membership chairs.
• Coordinated Carol E. Macpherson Memorial Scholarship transfer to AAUW-MN. Assisting in launching a scholarship for FY21.
• Finished membership recruitment and retention survey compilation and sent to Cyndy for Pine.
• Create membership award certificates.
• Completed Board to Branch calls and reported findings.
• Attended State Board Meetings and submitted quarterly reports.
• Organizing all my stuff to pass on to next Membership VP in April 2020. Including updating VP Membership calendar.

Future Plans:

Write for the Pine:

• AAUW Ambassador notes and an article on membership and positive genius for Pine – both in draft form.

AAUW of Minnesota National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Scholarship Report

Annual Meeting, April 25, 2020

Gail Glashan, NCCWSL Coordinator

Note from the editor, this article was written and submitted prior to our Shelter-in-Place directive from our governor and being notified of the postponement of NCCWSL 2020.

Fourteen Minnesota college women will soon embark on the amazing experience at the inspirational and empowering NCCWSL, May 27–30, 2020, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Along with 800 plus students from 48 states, they will attend skill-building workshops and panels, presentations by CEOs, experience 100 exhibitors at a Career and Graduate School Fair, and attend the Women of Distinction Awards. The students will be challenged and inspired to make an impact on their campuses and in their communities long after they leave the conference!

Thank you, AAUW members, for making this possible! The AAUW MN board approved monies for ten 2020 NCCWSL $1,000.00 scholarships, one per branch that sent a student to NCCWSL. I updated the application and branch process on our AAUW MN website, https://aauw-mn.aauw.net and promoted the scholarship opportunity in the Pine. Eight branches applied, sending me their NCCWSL student registration confirmation and their student flight receipts, and eight branches received $1,000.00 from AAUW MN. After receiving permission to share their information from students, I compiled a list of AAUW branches sending a student, branch contact name, and student information. Perhaps the students will connect and stay in touch with other Minnesota students at the conference.

AAUW of Minnesota will once again offer 10-$1000.00 NCCWSL scholarships in 2021. Talk with your branch members about applying for a scholarship and send a college woman to this premier conference where students learn to… Challenge themselves. Inspire others. Create impact.

As you may be aware and as a result of the ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, the NCCWSL conference that was planned for May 27 – 30, 2020, has been postponed. Visit https://www.nccwsl.org/ for more information.

Eight AAUW of Minnesota branches were sending a total of 14 young women to NCCWSL 2020. Each of these eight branches received a $1,000.00 grant for that purpose. AAUW of Minnesota will not be requesting return of the NCCWSL grant monies, but hope your branch will offer a scholarship to NCCWSL 2021! Branches have been notified and have taken action to cancel NCCWSL registration(s) and any travel bookings or have offered the option of transferring the monies to NCCWSL 2021 registration. Some branches have received grants from donors other than AAUW of Minnesota. These donors should be notified and permission to use the funds next year should be requested.

Thank you AAUW branches for your continued support, efforts and understanding. Know planning for NCCWSL 2021 is already underway! Best wishes to all AAUW members for safety and well-being during this challenging time.

Sheila Lind, AAUW MN Bylaws chair

Since the bylaws were updated in April of 2018, no new changes have been mandated by AAUW National. The state board has identified some changes that need to be made in the future.

Article XVIII states that a regular meeting has to be held each year. It goes on to reference a convention. Our 2020 meeting will be held virtually with delegates attending and voting through a Zoom meeting. Since meeting flexibility may be required in the future because of costs for a convention, etc, it would be a good idea to amend the bylaws to allow for such gatherings.

Also, the board agreed that some of the bylaws written in Article XVIII, Section 4, Convention Organization could be moved to Standing Rules to allow changes to be made without a state membership vote.

Name and position: Cyndy Harrison, The Pine Editor/Web manager

Reporting Period: April 2019 – April 2020

Accomplishments:

Website

Keeping the website up to date

The Pine

• June 2019 – 2376 views
• August 2019 – 2241 views
• September 2019 – 1935 views
• October 2019 Pine – 2112 views
• November 2019 Pine – 2442 views
• December 2019 Pine – 1905 views
• January 2020 Pine – 1950 views
• February 2020 Pine – 2037 views

Other Communications

• May 2, 2019 – AAUW MN Chapter Members – 1270 views
• May 14, 2019 – AAUW MN Lynx – 1519 views
• July 19, 2019 – AAUW Night at MN Lynx – 1190 views
• August 2, 2019 – AAUW Night at MN Lynx – 1095 views
• Minnesota Women’s Suffrage Day – 1694 view
• December 13, 2019 - AAUW-MN Survey for Regional Conference – 1792 views
• January 7, 2020 - AAUW-MN Announcements – 1529 views
• January 24, 2020 – AAUW-MN Announcements – 2052 views
• February 21, 2020 – Report to Membership – 1462 views

Upcoming activities:

• May Pine focus – Decisions from Annual Meeting; along with committee and branch updates
• June and July Pine Hiatus
• August focus – July Board meeting

Future plans:

• Keep website updated
• Continue with The Pine
• Increase Facebook postings

If you are a branch delegate, state board member, College/University delegate or past president you may cast your vote. Click on the form below to vote.

A highlight of the traditional conference booklet is the individual "Branch Hi-Lights" Most of the Minnesota Branches replied to our request in highlighting a program, fundraiser, and books that have been read over the past year. Thank you to all that submitted information to Deanna Ensley and to Deanna for compiling all of the information.

We hope you enjoy reading all about what your AAUW sisters have been doing and reading over the previous year.

Click the link below. If you are unsure how to find a specific branch, use the diagram below the link.

Website: https://aauw-mn.aauw.net/