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AAUW General Membership Meeting

WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 21, 2026

WHERE: Scottsdale Community College, Turquoise Room



Directions: Drive East on Chaparral. Take the 1st entrance to SCC. Take immediate left. Follow it around to Parking Lot A. When you turn right into Parking Lot A, the Turquoise Room will be straight ahead. 

WHO:  Julie Cieniawski and Jacob George

WHAT:  Julie Cieniawski is a 40+ year engaged community member of both Mesa and Scottsdale, career public school educator, first-generation college graduate, and an individual who steps forward when problems need to be solved. She became a passionate advocate for all children when she began her teaching career in 1986. Since then, she has dedicated her efforts to teaching and supporting all students, families, colleagues, and her community. Julie was an award-winning educator and continues to support equality of opportunity and collaborative decision-making as the means to move our communities forward. Her diverse school service roles included coach, performing arts director, department chair, club sponsor, assistant principal, and parent volunteer. Her leadership on the Arizona Education Association Board of Directors, and as a previous Scottsdale Education Association President enhanced her commitment to excellence for ALL children. Julie is also a Scottsdale AAUW Branch member.

Based on her experience, Julie will provide an objective presentation of Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) on Saturday, February 21st . Jacob George, current Balsz Elementary School District board member and founder of Unity Rising USA, will be joining her in this presentation, allowing attendees to acquire a comprehensive perspective of current issues deeply twisted within the ESA scam. Jacob, a political science major at Arizona State University, first assumed office as an at-large member of the Balsz Elementary School District in January 2025.

Though many of our members no longer have children in K-12 schools, it is important for us to understand the scope, oversight, and current legislative issues of the ESA program as Arizona taxpayers and

concerned citizens. I hope you will be able to join us for another quality presentation.

--Jacqui Sasser, Program Coordinator

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD:

Welcome to February...

February may be the shortest month by two or three days, but it’s packed

with holidays. It’s Black History Month where we keep learning about ever

more prominent people who have contributed to our society. Then there’s

Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, including Washington’s and Lincoln’s

birthdays, Lunar New Year and Ramadan, and let’s not forget Groundhog

Day coming up soon on the second.

For AAUW it’s a busy month as well. Aligning with our mission, we’ll see

National Women and Girls Day in Sports on February 5th. If you haven’t

already signed up for a Zoom on February 12th , check out “Promoting

AAUW Education Values through School Board Advocacy” on the National website. Look on the website if you didn’t see the email from National earlier. On February 21st we’ll have Julie Cieniawski, a former Scottsdale Unified School District board member and president, share what’s going on with our Scottsdale schools and the ESA vouchers. Julie is also a

Scottsdale Branch AAUW member.

On February 25th we’ll go to the Arizona Capitol for our annual Legislative

Day. Our state co-chairs of Public Policy, Betsy Flaten and Mary

Linnermann, have been working with Jodi Liggett, our liaison to the

Legislature, on a program that’s sure to capture our attention. Jodi has

wowed us in the past and won’t disappoint! When you see the registration

form via an e-blast sign up quickly. As in the past, space is limited in the Old Senate Chambers (42 person limit). It willbe first come, first served. We’ll arrange for carpools for those who wish to go together.

And don’t forget our Branch Advocacy (aka Public Policy)/ Community

Action meeting is on Tuesday, February 10th . Look for the announcement

elsewhere in this newsletter.

--Janet Larkin, Advocacy/Community Action Chair

Membership Matters...

Congratulations to Dr. Linda Thor...

Dr. Linda Thor, AAUW-Arizona State Board Recording Secretary and Scottsdale Branch member, has been elected President of the Governing Board of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges. Linda was first elected to the Governing Board in 2016, and was re-elected in 2020 and 2024. She holds an at-large (countywide) seat. She previously served as Board President in 2019.

Before her Governing Board service, Linda worked in community colleges for 41 years, 29 years as a chief executive officer. She is President Emerita of Rio Salado College, where she served for nearly 20 years, and Chancellor Emerita of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, serving the Silicon Valley. Earlier, she was president of West Los Angeles College.

Linda, we're so proud of you....

*****************************

Meet New Member Cindi East:

I was born in Indiana. Went to Purdue for BA in German Education and continued with MsEd through Indiana University and St. Mary’s at Notre Dame. I have taught elementary ed, high school US History and SPED, in medium security male prison and max security juvenile security. I lived a short time with the Navajo(Dine) Tribe on the reservation. Had Arabian horses and some have been in Scottsdale shows. I love history, sewing/machine embroidery, riding, learning about cultures/diversity and reading. I’ve become a little more political in the last 7 years. I love snow and pine trees, but enjoy the low humidity here. Studying now in Quero Shamanisn. Have studied stone, plant and frequency healing. Reiki Master/Teacher and do Cranial Sacral work. 

Welcome CIndi and thanks for volunteering to be on Jacqui's Program Committee!

********************

Karen Willett's new email is karenwillett@myctl.net

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NEW MEMBER EVENT

Judy and Gail, Co-Membership VPs, are organizing a New Member Event! It will be held on Tuesday February 17th at 4:30 pm at Paul Martin's

American Grill, located at 6186 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. This is between Lincoln & MacDonald Drives. They have a fabulous Happy Hour menu, which you may find on their website.

Please make a reservation for this event by emailing Judy at:  trinahub@aol.com

We hope to see many of you there to mix and mingle with other new members and us!

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Call to Members!

Through March 3, 2026, we have an incentive for new members to join for half-price, 50% off National Dues! Reach out now and let’s get a good start on recruiting in 2026!

FINANCES...

Beginning January 1, 2026, dues for our branch will include the upcoming national increase and last year’s national increase which we did not pass along to our local branch members. So that means we will need to renew you at a total cost of $115. AAUW is still a bargain! Our program with our own branch member Dr. Adero Allison last month was certainly thought provoking.

Again, we will be urging all members to use the national website (aauw.org) to pay your dues and update your information. And, again, I will be offering a chance to win $50 to one among you who renews ONLINE before JUNE 1, 2026. I can tell you that our winner, Laura Hurwich, (congrats!) for 2025 enjoyed her $50 bill.  It just might pay to pay online. 

--Viva Ashcroft, Co-Finance VP

Programs...

For your planning purposes, our Scottsdale Branch 2026 speakers and topics will be:

March 26 Monica Brown Author’s Luncheon

Monica Brown will be our Author’s Luncheon speaker. Monica is the award-winning author of over thirty magical multicultural picture books for children. Her books are inspired by her Peruvian and Jewish heritage and the desire to bring diverse stories to children. Monica’s books have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post and on NPR’s All Things Considered. She is the recipient of two Américas Awards and a Christopher Award for books. Her books have been published in a dozen languages and she has been a featured author at The National Book

Festival, The Texas Book festival, The Brooklyn Book Festival, and The Tucson Book Festival, and internationally. The luncheon will be held on Thursday, March 26th, at the Indigenous Cultural Center (ICC), in room 222. The luncheon will be catered, and additional information will be provided later.

April 18 Dr. Donald Opila, MD, a geriatrician, focusing on staying healthy as we age.



--Jacqui Sasser, Program Coordinator

Advocacy/Community Action:

The Legislature has returned and is busy presenting bills that we may or may not see as advocating for women and girls. Newsletters on line such as Civil Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV), Save Our Schools (SOS), Indivisible (Stand Indivisible locally), and others keep us informed about it all. Use RTS, phone calls, emails and snail mail to communicate with your legislators.

We can help you with all of this and break it down at our next Advocacy/Communication meeting on:

Date: February 10, 2026

Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Location: The home of Janet Larkin

7409 E. Bonita Drive

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Upcoming: Legislative Day at the Capitol on February 25, 2026, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. with a box lunch for $10. See agenda and registration elsewhere in this newsletter.

Please continue to remember our students at SCC by contributing food donations to Artie’s Pantry. You may bring donations to our meeting or drop them off in the café area of the Student Union.



Hope to see you then!

Janet Larkin, Chair

jalarkin@cox.net

cell: 480-242-3089

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP News.....

Great Decisions:

After the January Great Decisions discussion at Westminster Village,

L to R: Janet Larkin, Jane Adrian, Mary Christensen, Alice Buck, Barbara Goodwin, Sharon Gill, Joyce Yarbrough, Renae Bates, Anne Palazzo, Carolyn Edlund. Behind the camera was photographer and discussion leader Laraine Rodgers. 

Books Etc.

Please join us at the lovely home of Camille Schmidt, at 19868 N 84 Way, Scottsdale, on February 18 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the fascinating life of Isabella Gardiner, The Lioness of Boston! The discussion will be led by Anne Palazzo. In the mid 1860s, how would you maneuver the do’s and don’ts of high Boston society? Isabella’s journey is fascinating and courageous. A short synopsis follows:

During the last decades of her life and for nearly all of the 20th century, Isabella Stewart Gardner, widely known as “Mrs. Jack,” after her Boston Brahmin husband, John Lowell (Jack) Gardner, Jr., was celebrated as an entertaining public eccentric, a prime example, perhaps the prime example, of a classic Boston type. As the proud city slowly faded in economic and cultural clout, falling further and further behind its glamorous, sophisticated rival, New York, Boston prided itself, in compensation, on its uniquely peculiar citizens, and, particularly, on its quirky old institutions, like Mrs. Jack’s bizarre Venetian treasure box on the Fenway. It was a way of saying flash and cash didn’t matter in the rarified, cerebral atmosphere of the Athens of America.

In recent years, Mrs. Jack has been presented, more and more, as a kind of proto-feminist and her museum as an example of triumphant female creativity and originality. Ironically, part of the reason for the shift is probably the notorious theft, in March 1990, of 13 works of art from the Gardner collection. The eye-popping valuation of the stolen works, widely reported as the biggest art heist of all time, along with the torrent of publicity for the theft and the museum, made people look differently at Mrs. Jack’s pet project. Maybe it was more than a quixotic self-monument after all.



Please let Camille know at camischmidt@cox.net by February 15 if you will be attending. The meeting begins at 1:00 p.m.

--Cynthia Peplinski cynthiadysart@cox.net

Lunch Bunch for 2026

Our February 5 offering for Lunch Bunch is one of your favorites -- White Chocolate Grill, 7000 E Mayo Blvd. We will be delighting in a varied repast at 11:30 a.m. Some of the offerings not to pass by might include The Rustic Club Sandwich (Marinated turkey, roasted & sliced with smoked bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise on whole wheat bread - now tell me how you can top turkey, bacon and cheddar cheese??? - Aren’t these three made in some chef’s heaven???) Or if you originate from down South, you might be hungry for the elusive (in Phoenix, at least) pulled pork sandwich (Slow roasted Memphis-style pulled pork in their signature BBQ sauce with creamy slaw & pickles) When I lived in New Hampshire, I would have done something nefarious for this BBQ sandwich!

But if you are a salad kind of gal, you might find the three condiments for salads the “gods” have provided in the WCG Bacon Bleu Cheese Salad (Mixed greens, Maytag bleu cheese, smoked bacon, shaved red onion & candied walnuts in WCG vinaigrette -- Aren’t bleu cheese, bacon and candied walnuts the mortals' answer to nectar and ambrosia?) And just because we do not live on the beach doesn’t mean that we can’t partake of succulent shrimp salads (Chilled shrimp & romaine tossed in champagne vinaigrette with cherry tomatoes, avocado, grapes, mango, pistachios, & Hailey’s croutons -- actually this salad is only served in Arizona and Colorado!)

But for the piece de resistance! This Grill actually serves Rotisserie Chicken Crepes -- (Fresh crepes filled with rotisserie chicken, spinach & a mushroom cream sauce. Topped with Madeira sauce & parmesan cheese -- remember those from Paris???)

So now that you have pretended to eat an entree just so you can then order dessert - HERE THEY ARE! FOR TWO! 

WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

(A warm blonde brownie freshly baked with Callebaut chocolate. Topped with French vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce & whipped cream); 

SILKY CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE

(A warm chocolate soufflé cake served with créme anglaise & whipped cream); 

FRENCH WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

(Croissants baked with Godiva white chocolate liqueur & golden raisins. Topped with whipped cream, caramel & white chocolate sauce) And each will feed two so, of course, you won’t eat as much (doesn’t that compute???)

Please join us at 11:30 AM at White Chocolate Grill, 7000 E Mayo Blvd on February 5, 2026. Let me know by February 2 if you intend to be present!

“Food is art, and food is love. And we should show love and appreciation for those who cook it by eating it with relish.” – Mark Bittman

-Cynthia Peplinski cynthiadysart@cox.net

Shopping at Fry's Can Help an SCC Student...

Scottsdale Branch has, over the years, been part of Frys Reward Program--whereby, if you are enrolled, a percentage of your purchase goes to our scholarship fund at Scottsdale Community College's Maricopa Community College Fund, which will then benefit a returning student. Here's how you can enroll:

1. Go to frysfood.com
2. click on Community
3. click on community rewards
4. click on Enroll Now
5. sign on with your email and password
6. enter with organization number XV773 (Maricopa Community College Fund)
7. click Enroll
8. enter your 12 digit Frys account number (which you will have had to obtain first)
9. MCCF will pop up

HOW TO ORDER AN AAUW NAME BADGE

Go to AAUW.org and in the upper right hand corner, log in with your email and password. 

You'll need to create an account if you don't have one.



Click on Membership in the top right hand corner.

Go to Discounts and Perks on the right side of the screen.

Scroll down to Shop AAUW, about halfway down, and click on it.

Click on Accessorize.

You'll see Custom Name Badge and click on it.

Decide between pin or magnet back. 

Customize to order.

$11.50 w/pin   $15.00 w/magnet

And place your order!

NEWS FROM NATIONAL....

AAUW American Fellowship Recipients at ASU

This is where your donations to AAUW Graduate Fellowships have gone--right here at Arizona State University. (more recent listings not available on National website).

American Fellowships

Name: Saida Mohamed

Award Year: 2022-23

Award: American Fellowship

Institution: Arizona State University. Location: Tempe, Arizona

Discipline: Education

Degree and Specialization: Ph.D., Literacies of Refugee Children

Name: Dawn Demps

Award Year: 2020-21

Award: American Fellowship

Institution: Arizona State University. Location: Tempe, Arizona

Discipline: Education

Degree and Specialization: Ph.D., Education Policy and Evaluation

Name: Lily Hsueh

Award Year: 2020-21

Award: American Fellowship

Institution: Arizona State University. Location: Tempe, Arizona

Discipline: Economics

Degree and Specialization: Publication Grant, Environ. & Natural Resource Economics, Environmental Policy and Management, Political Economy, Governance, Applied Econometrics, Climate Change, Ocean & Marine Resources, Toxic Chemicals

Time to sign up for the Two Minute Activist:

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