Next Meeting:

March 27, 5:30 p.m., Mecosta County Services Building
Presentation by Dr. Kasey Thompson, FSU Associate Professor of Management

Dr. Thompson earned a Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL and joined Ferris State University’s College of Business in 2017. She has over twenty-five years of professional experience including leading Global strategic initiatives for McDonald’s Corporation where she served as the Director of Global Menu Strategy. Dr. Thompson led platform innovation teams for the 35,000 restaurants globally as a strategic director

for the world’s 90th largest economy. Most notably, Dr. Thompson co-wrote the full strategic marketing plan for Redbox, the world’s first fully automated DVD system.

Dr. Thompson is an Associate Professor of Management; passionate about strategic innovation, leadership, ethics, and entrepreneurship, she also serves as Special Assistant to the President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She will be talking to us about the challenges and opportunities for women in these career paths.

Our March meeting will be held on March 27 at 5:30 P.M. at the Mecosta County Services Building, 14485 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. Please enter through Door #3, around the north side of the building.

“Feminomenon” Event

We had great turnout on a brutally cold night for our event for the Festival of the Arts. Thank you very much to everyone who presented or attended, and special thanks to Kelley Samuels for providing live music and getting us all on our feet! She was feminomenal! The presentation took the audience through a whirlwind tour of music representing the major waves of feminism, from the Suffrage Movement, the Civil Women’s Rights period, and our current time. See PowerPoints from the event here.

January Zoom Meeting with AAUWMI President

Many thanks to Programs VP Deb Kennedy for organizing a special Zoom meeting with AAUWMI President Amy Shamroe on January 15. Amy updated us on what’s going on with AAUW at the state level, including the creation of two new branches and a soon to be released service that will let AAUWMI members know about bills related to AAUWMI public policy priorities under consideration in the state legislature and make it easy to contact legislators to voice our opinions about these issues.

December Holiday Brunch Meeting

Our annual holiday meeting was held at Pere Marquette Bistro and Catering on December 7. Our special guest Elaine Cox recounted how and AAUW scholarship from the Ann Arbor branch helped her complete her degree and launch her career.

In the late 1970s,  Elaine was a non-traditional college student, married with young kids, and trying to juggle classes and family while living solely on her husband’s income. Elaine got through the first two years of her program as a part-time student, but to complete her program in occupational therapy at Eastern Michigan University, she had to be enrolled full-time for her junior and senior years. Her family didn’t have the money for full-time tuition, and she thought she would have to drop out of school when someone recommended that she should apply for a scholarship from the AAUW-Ann Arbor branch.

Elaine was emotional when she talked about the impact of that scholarship. It paid her full tuition for her junior year, and it was a tremendous boost to her confidence. She graduated in December 1981 with a BS in occupational therapy and worked 20 years for the Jackson ISD and later for the Mecosta-Osceola ISD. She helped many parents, children, and people with disabilities during her career. According to Elaine, her life would have taken a very different trajectory if she had not received the scholarship.

November Meeting
“Meet our Members: Pioneering Women Among Us”
Tuesday, November 12, 5:30-6:00–refreshments;
6:00-7:30 p.m–program/ business meeting

Marilyn Jablonski has suggested that we ask some of our own members to speak on their own career and leadership journeys since we have some rock stars among us. “Herstory” matters, and we should know the stories of our own members!

We have confirmed that two members will speak briefly about their careers in traditionally male professions, and we hope to confirm one or two others. Susan Grant will tell us about her experience as the first woman attorney and judge in Mecosta County, and Mary Loesch will recount her career as an anthropologist.

“Cocktails & Convos”–Tuesday, October 8, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Artworks Lower Level Gallery, 106 N. Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids

AAUW-Big Rapids announces its next conversation in its “Cocktails & Convos” series. Our discussion topic for this event will be Women and Aging. Cynthia Mallory, Director of the Mecosta County Commission on Aging, will be our guest speaker.

This is a free event open to anyone interested in women’s issues. Wine, bottled water, and light refreshments will be served. Come participate in the discussion, and learn about the Commission on Aging and AAUW.

Welcome Back Picnic–Saturday, September 14, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Our annual Welcome Back picnic to kick off our official AAUW year will once again be held at North End Riverside Park, 17700 Trestle Bend Drive, in Big Rapids. Guests are welcome to join us as we discuss possible projects, events and how YOU can help during our upcoming AAUW year!

This year’s lunch offerings will be from BR Lunchbox, which advertises “Gourmet lunch on the go!” We will have three salad options to choose from for the meeting. Each meal will be $16.50, which includes tax and tip. Please contact Deb Kennedy (aauwkennedy@gmail.com or text/call 734-552-7149) to let her know your choice by 12:00 p.m., Monday, September 9. Also let her know if you have special requests to omit any toppings or substitute a different dressing.

• Option 1: Greek Pasta Salad: Mixed greens, pasta, feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, Greek vinaigrette
• Option 2: Apple chicken salad: Mixed greens, moist breast of chicken, apples, celery, Craisins, light mayonaisse dressing
• Option 3: Vegetarian Salad: Mixed greens, black beans, corn, tomato, boiled egg, cheese, creamy Dijon dressing

All meals include a roll and dessert. Please bring your own beverage. Note: Alcohol beverages are not allowed in the city parks.

Upcoming Events
We are working on booking speakers for our October and November meetings. You can mark Saturday, December 7 on your calendar for our annual Holiday Meeting and celebration of our scholarship recipients. This year’s gathering will be a brunch at Pere Marquette Bistro and Catering in Reed City. Stay tuned for more details.

Contact us:  aauwbigrapids@gmail.com