Nominating Committee Report

The Nominating Committee, chaired by Marsi Liddell, worked hard to identify the following slate of candidates for office in 2026-2028.

You will receive a ballot by email on March 23, 2026.

Voting ends April 1, 2026.

To request a paper ballot email:

aauwtxpres@gmail.com before March 23, 2026.

AAUW Texas Conference

The 52^nd Biennial AAUW Texas Conference will be held on Saturday, April 25^th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. The theme is Energizing and Advocating for Women.

After listening to our members, we will be trying a new format this year. Three in-person sessions held at three locations in DFW at Tarrant County College NE, Houston at Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks, and San Antonio at SAWS Headquarters. 

At these locations for the cost of $49, attendees will be served lunch and provided SWAG bags. If you cannot join us in person, you can attend via Zoom for a fee of $10. 

The day will be kicked off with a welcome from our current President Malinda Gaul and a review of the day’s activities. 

Our first speaker will be Valerie Jones, Ed.D., President of Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks. The focus of her talk will be Energizing!

Next we will conduct our biennial business meeting with Malinda Gaul presiding. We will recognize our new officers for 2026-2028 biennium and honor the Five Star recipients. Vickie Natale, Finance Officer, will report on the state of our finances. 

The final morning speaker will be Meghan Kissell, Senior Director of Policy and Member Advocacy at the American Association of University Women, who will present Defending Equity: From Classrooms to Careers—Keeping the Promise of Women’s Equality. Advocating!

During lunch, both in-person and online attendees will have time for networking and sharing of ideas. 

The afternoon will focus on how our branches have carried out our mission and energized and advocated for women through the Five Star program. Paula Jernigan from NETC branch will moderate a panel of branch representatives providing insights into the program and how they were able to achieve their stars. 

Keep an eye out for registration information coming through Constant Contact.



Please join your AAUW Texas friends at a location of your choice.

Dr. Valerie Jones

Dr. Valerie Jones serves as president of Lone Star College-CyFair with nearly 26,000 students pursuing university transfer, dual credit, and workforce programs. She previously earned national recognition for transformative student success with the Aspen Institute Rising Star Award in 2017 and 2019, and the 2018 Achieving the Dream Leah Meyer Austin Award at Odessa College. Before coming to Texas, Dr. Jones grew from English faculty to administrator in North Carolina community colleges. Crossing the country with 3 dogs, 2 horses, and 11 chickens to live in an RV in west Texas shows the sense of humor she brings to leadership.

Meghan Kissell

Meghan Kissell is the Senior Director of Policy and Member Advocacy at the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where she leads AAUW’s federal policy agenda and helps members across the country turn concern into meaningful action. She first joined AAUW more than 20 years ago as Field Director, and returned in 2023 to head the Policy team.

Her career spans gender equity, public lands protection with the Conservation Lands Foundation—where she helped safeguard more than five million acres in the Western U.S., and LGBTQ+ equality work in the Deep South with the Human Rights Campaign. Meghan began her advocacy path as an AmeriCorps member working with middle school students, which sparked her commitment to education and community organizing.

She holds a Master’s in Social Work from Howard University and a B.A. in Political Science from Allegheny College. Meghan is also an AAUW member and donor through the Alexandria, Virginia branch, and she’s passionate about helping people move from “this is alarming” to “here’s what we can do next.”

Paula Jernigan

Paula became a member of the Northeast Tarrant County Branch of AAUW in September 2015 and immediately volunteered to serve on the host committee of the branch’s first Full STEAM Ahead Conference, a day-long event for 4^th-6^th grade girls. By January 2016, Paula was approached about serving as Co-Membership Vice President with Cheri Butler-an office she held for four years. Just as the pandemic began, Paula was installed as Co-President of the branch with Faye Beaulieu. The branch met virtually for most of their first term of office so they agreed to a second term which will end on June 30^th. Paula’s commitment to AAUW is consistent with her life-long interest in education for women. She is a member of the Legacy Circle.

A first-generation college student, Paula enrolled at Mississippi State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Home Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Human Resources and a specialty in Organizational Behavior, Design, and Development.

After graduating from Mississippi State in 1976, Paula went to work for the university as an Admission Counselor. During her 25-year career, she was a Program Specialist for the Division of Continuing Education, a Business Manager at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Employee Relations Manager in the Department of Human Resources Management. Over time, Paula advanced to Assistant Director for Employment, International Employment, Employee Orientation, Employee Development, and Employee Relations. Paula’s final stop before retirement was to the role of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer for Mississippi State where she was responsible for all matters related to fair employment and all claims of discrimination.

Paula retired to Texas in 2022 and resides in Grapevine where she is a member of the First Grapevine Methodist Church. Paula enjoys volunteer work-especially with organizations who make a difference in the lives of women and their families.

Public Policy

The March Primary Election Matters

The March primaries are coming up and they matter more than most people realize. In Texas, the state leadership is usually decided in the spring primary election! Unless you live in one of the few House districts with a relatively even partisan balance, the only way to impact the Texas legislative and congressional elections is to vote in the primary. The dominant party’s primary winners almost always win the general election in November.

Your vote matters more in a primary than in the fall election because so few people vote. Only 14% of Texas’ voting age population voted in the 2024 primary election. Those voters are who decide the direction for our government.

Prepare to make an informed decisions by learning about the candidates. There are numerous candidates in many races. A good resource for information is https://www.vote411.org/ or https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/13/texas-voting-guide-2026/

Texas has open primaries. When you arrive at your polling place, you choose the party’s primary ballot that you want to participate in, either Democratic or Republican. Should there be a run-off election, you must vote in that same party’s run-off.

Dates to keep in mind for the election:



• Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - First day of early voting

• Friday, February 20, 2026  Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail It is recommended by the postal service that you mail in your ballot one week in advance of election day to be sure it arrives in time to be counted.

• Friday, February 27, 2026 - Last day of early voting

• Tuesday, March 3, 2026 - Primary Election Day

• Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - Runoff Election

Lastly, get out the vote: Encourage your friends and family to vote.

Georgia Kimmel

AAUW Texas Public Policy Chair

A Five Star Convention!

by Debbie Campbell and Margie Poole

Decisions, Decisions. Would you rather attend our April 25 statewide conference in DFW, San Antonio, Greater Houston, or over Zoom?

Throughout planning, the conference committee has looked for ways to help every Texas branch shine in National's Five Star program. As you may recall, this program helps AAUW branches show their alignment with our national mission. Branches can choose from a list of potential target goals, like these:

• Hold at least 4 programs that align with AAUW’s strategic plan

Note that attending the April convention counts as one of the four (or more) required programs. Watch Cheri Butler explain further in this recorded Zoom meeting (0:00 to 11:00).

• Recruit at least one Legacy Circle member from your branch in FY26

Watch Legacy Circle presenters Jackie Littleton and Jean Dodds inform and inspire in this recorded Zoom meeting (11:00 to end).



Important: Legacy Circle Do’s and Don’t’s, tax ID numbers, identifying address, personal bank account options, and joining options are listed in our December 2025 UWT newsletter article.

• Increase contributions to the Greatest Needs, Defend Higher Education or Public Policy Funds by 15% from the last fiscal year

For some branches, this is easy, but many branches may struggle with meeting this goal. Our convention planning committee is exploring easy ways to address this for all branches. 

Curious yet? See you on Saturday, April 25!

*If you have questions about Funds or would like to receive meeting announcements for state-wide Funds officers, contact Funds Vice President aauw.debbie.campbell@gmail.com (Life Member, Houston and West Harris County Branches).

NCCWSL APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 26, 2026

Please save the date for the 2026 NCCWSL Conference (National Conference for College Women Student Leaders), which is scheduled to take place May 27-30, 2026. The conference unites college students from across the nation for a transformative experience in leadership development, networking, and inspiration. The conference is being sponsored by NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) (https://naspa.org/events/nccwsl). The NCCWSL conference will be held again at the University of Maryland, College Park. 

DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO NASPA.

The SHARE Scholarship application on the AAUW Texas website is currently available for completion and submission to the Scholarship Committee until February 26, 2026. Each Branch has received the notice to encourage their membership to recruit students to apply for the registration cost of EARLY REGISTRATION $585/double occupancy (includes opening reception and meals). Those who are awarded the SHARE Scholarship may also need additional funding to cover transportation, additional meals, and fees for late registration or single occupancy. Let them know they should seek support from other college/university sources and their Branch.

Send completed applications no later than Monday, March 30, 2026 to: michelegettertaylor@gmail.com.

For information call Michele Taylor 281-851-6598.

News from the AAUW National Advancement Committee

• ALL branches must update their bylaws with the mandated first seven articles and submit them for review to their state bylaws chair, if there is one, and, when completed, to National (connect@aauw.org). This process must be completed no later than June 30, 2026. If your branch or branches in your state haven’t yet made the changes, make it a priority. It’s a simple process, and no membership vote is required.

• All branches must submit the Annual Branch Survey (aka Five-Star Survey) to be in compliance with the AAUW Affiliate agreement. It will be coming out in the spring and will be due June 30, 2026. Plan for that now.

• Branches may request speakers from the national office for their events or meetings. The request form is here: 

https://www.aauw.org/resources/member/leader-resources-tools/state-branch/request-a-speaker/

• All branches without state affiliates are invited to come to the state liaison meetings. Important information is shared at those meetings.

• Those individuals and branches that want to donate money toward national NCCWSL scholarships given to AAUW student members are encouraged to make their donations now, especially since the NCCWSL registration cost has increased.

• The February 1 membership count should come out in mid-March.

• A few new members have used the clarified degree equivalency criteria to join. Such requests must be sent to connect@aauw.org. This number is on par with previous years.

Elected Officers  

Ann Berasley

Pam Wolfe

Malinda Gaul

Cheri Butler

Vacant

Debbie Campbell

Vickie Natale

Linda Welsh

Elected District Representatives

Brenda Van Derbur

Cheryl Fuller

Sara Wood

Charlotte Dunham

Standing Committees

Vacant

Georgia Kimmel

Appointed Positions

Michele Taylor

Sara Wood

Vacant

Communications Team

Malinda Gaul

Janani Janakiraman

Jerrilyn Woodard-Entrekin

Contact at:https://aauw-tx.aauw.net/about/leadership/

President

President

President

Program VP

Membership VP

AAUW Funds VP

Finance Officer

Secretary

South District

Central District

North District

West District

Bylaws/Parliamentarian

Public Policy

C/U Partners

Branch Services

JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion)

UWT Editor/Constant Contact

Website

Facebook