Wow! Another outstanding convention for AAUW-MA.  Many, many people worked hard and long to make this a success.  First of all thanks to Barbara Burgo, program VP, who at the height of census madness, brought wonderful people together and made it all work.  Our speakers and presenters were all top notch.  We are particularly grateful to Andresse St. Rose and Dave Kirkwood for traveling to Massachusetts and keeping us connected to our DC headquarters.  Thanks to Kris and Ashley Occhino and the Attleboro branch for being the host branch and attending to details locally. Attleboro’s indefatigable Katherine Honey out did herself with Launch. We all know who keeps this whole show going and on whom we rely so heavily – Hollie Bagley.  This is the first time I have ever been to a convention without Hollie’s presence.  Though she might not be here physically, every piece of paper, name tag, or folder you have is evidence of Hollie’s hard work.  Now a huge thanks goes to my predecessor, Beryl Domingo.  I’m sure you’ll all agree that Beryl has done an amazing job as our state president for the past two years.  How she has done this while working full time at the Department of Children and Families, is beyond me.  As a fellow social worker, formerly in the child welfare field, I know only too well what a challenge that is.  Beryl took office just as all the major by-law changes were happening at the national level.  She saw us through these significant transitions: she kept us informed and challenged us to think in new ways.  She promoted the AAUW mission while giving each branch latitude to express that mission in a way that was meaningful to them.  I couldn’t be starting from a better place than from where Beryl left off.

I love Katherine’s choice of the word “Launch” for her program.  I feel like stepping into the role of president for our state is like a launching.  When ships get launch it’s customary to break a bottle of champagne across the bow and it would be fitting to uncork a few and toast to a new beginning, but we can’t do that here – too bad!  I could promise champagne at every meeting, but our state budget only calls for a toast of bottled water.  Nonetheless, we can launch ourselves into the future to help create a world where equity is no longer an issue.

I like the juxtaposition of mission and launch.  Kind of feels like the NASA control center.  Speaking of NASA, on Monday three women astronauts departed on the Discovery for the space station; that will make 4 women in space at one time, the most ever!  Well, we have a mission, too, and we’re ready for the next phase.  I see that phase as launching ourselves on to college campuses.  Young women need to hear the message of the mission and we need them to carry it out in the future.  There’s mutuality here; we both have a lot to gain. We DO have a lot to offer.  Remember we are not just one branch out there floundering around, we are CONNECTED! We are connected to our state organization and we are connected to our national organization, about 100,000 women nation-wide, we have clout!

Keep this in mind when you make that campus connection:  AAUW has proven its commitment to women and girls and has campus-related programs to back that commitment up:

• We’re on campus today at Bristol Community College and have just presented an excellent program on STEM issues.  A connection has been made, one that can be followed up on and made strong.

• Campus Action Project: this is a terrific opportunity as we heard today from students at Massasoit Community College.  Let’s encourage other schools to apply for the CAP grants as they become available.  Grants such as this one prove that AAUW is committed to young women.  It’s a huge benefit that builds a relationship between the national, state, and branch components of AAUW with our college women.

• Campaign College:  this program just ran at UMass Dartmouth.  Women comprise 62% of the college population, but only 28% of student government office holders.  It is also known that there is a correlation between running and holding office on the college level and running and holding office in local and national government.  Campaign College helps young women learn the fundamentals of campaigning.  We often lament the dearth of women office-holders and rightly so, but here’s a way to do something about it.  Maybe you can work with a local college to help them host Campaign College at their school next year.

• The perfect corollary to Campaign College is NCCWSL.  Let’s help young women expand those leadership skills to run for office or to run a business.  We know that every student we have sent to NCCWSL raves about the experience.  We can promote this to our local campuses by making sure they know about the program and sponsoring a student through our state and branch efforts.  After students return from their NCCWSL experience, let’s have them talk about it, not just to our branches, though that’s a good thing, but to other students.  Have an event at the student’s school that includes other students, branch members, Career Services staff, and others who are interested.  Invite AAUW fellows as well to talk about how AAUW has helped them.

• Another offering is Smart Start.  Wage inequity is something young women need to hear about.  AAUW’s collaboration with the Wage Project is another entre to the campus.  Following Smart Start with an Equal Pay Day event reinforces the message and gives young women a chance to lobby their state reps and get a feel for what needs to be done to ensure equity in the future.

I’d like to see us ramp up our public policy efforts.  Let’s choose one or two issues we feel we can work with and have some impact on.  Let’s see what other organizations are out there that have mutual interests and the drive to make something happen.  Collaboration is the key; that, along with honing our focus and not trying to do everything.  One thing done well has more impact than a smattering of this or that.  We have worked with many other groups before: the YWCA, the Mass Commission on the Status of Women, and Girls’ Inc. to name a few.  Working together, we can accomplish goals that are reasonable and well-defined.

I also have a keen interest in international women’s issues.  Through AAUW we can have a strong connection to other women world-wide.  While I was working to complete the Sema Faigen International Fellowship, I had the privilege of meeting several of our international fellows.  A more impressive group of women, I have yet to encounter. Most have overcome true hardship to achieve their goals.  They hold the values of AAUW very dear, because they have had to work all the harder to attain them.  We know women and girls in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan are willing to risk their lives to attend school, while their teachers are risking their lives to teach them.  We can’t help but be awed by their desire to learn, no matter the dire consequences.  Those of us who were at convention in Phoenix and heard Greg Mortenson speak and have read his books, just can’t ignore how powerful the yearning for education can be.  Through AAUW we are connected with CARE, an organization that reaches out to women to give them the tools they need to start a small business or learn about health care issues.  I remember Sema’s words about “holding out the hand of fellowship to all who would grasp it”.  CARE holds out that hand and we can, too.  Representatives of CARE would like to present their work at our fall meeting.  We also have begun discussions with Jan Shubert at Babson College.  Some of you may remember that her program in women’s leadership, received a Progress in Equity award from us several years ago.  Jan has begun a wonderful program to teach social entrepreneurship to women in Saudi Arabia.  Several of us also have a connection to women in Haiti.  Barbara Burgo’s close friend Carolyn Fleuhr-Lobban recently held a fundraiser for Fonkoze, a non-profit organization that empowers women in Haiti through micro financing.   AAUW was a supporting organization in this fundraising effort.  Bringing these groups together for a conference on international women’s issues could be a dynamic event, one that knits together C/U connections, public policy issues, and international affairs.  AAUW-MA can hitch its wagon to these groups and add its expertise and woman-power into the mix.

I feel privileged to be here today, standing on the able shoulders of all the past presidents of AAUW-MA, each of whom had her own vision of the mission and how to make it come alive for our state, our branches, and our members.  As women, we know that our strength is in our connection to each other.  Many of us have known each other for a long time and value deeply our bonds.  We are all giving of our own time despite the many other demands in our lives.  As your state president I promise to uphold all that AAUW stands for and do my best to help each branch to create a mission-driven program that works for them.  We also have the considerable talents of Alice Bowen as our Leadership Corps representative to meet with branches and strategize goals and actions.  Alice and I, along with other board members can work with you, so call upon us.  Together we can reach our goals; we can create a level playing field for all women and girls, because we belong to a community that breaks through barriers, and brings women of diverse social, racial, and economic backgrounds together.

Elizabeth Fragola, AAUW-MA President, 2010-2012