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University Woman Texas
Volume 77 l Issue 4 l June 2026
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AAUW Texas President’s Message
By Malinda Gaul
As we come to the close of another biennium, we do so with excitement and pride in all that AAUW Texas has accomplished over the past two years.
President Mary Smith began the biennium with a Strategic Plan that provided the guidance we needed. During her six months as president, Mary and Program Vice President Cheri Butler planned and presented They Came for the Schools featuring Mike Hixenbaugh.
Ann Beasley led the effort to realign the AAUW Texas district representative structure with the current number of branches. This change was approved by the membership in a bylaws vote in April 2025. During her six months as president, she and Cheri presented Celebrating Successful Women. AAUW Texas also held another successful Legislative Day under the direction of Public Policy Chair Georgia Kimmel.
Under the leadership of Pam Wolfe, AAUW Texas approved a new officer structure, creating a Branch Services Vice President position to oversee membership and funds and elevating Public Policy to a Vice President role. Pam and Georgia also planned Voting: Opportunities and Threats.
Cheri concluded an outstanding program biennium with an innovative state conference held in three locations and online. Through these efforts, we truly lived our theme of Energizing and Advocating for Women.
Throughout the two years, Finance Officer Vickie Natale provided invaluable assistance to branches and maintained the financial health of AAUW Texas, including oversight of the SHARE Account. This year, we were able to award SHARE grants to the Corpus Christi Branch and the West Harris County Branch and provide SHARE support for young women attending NCCWSL.
Secretary Linda Welsh documented the history of the organization by preparing the minutes of board and annual meetings and maintaining our records.
AAUW Funds Vice President Debbie Campbell assisted branches with fundraising efforts while overseeing state donations, including the Five Star Surprise initiative—donations made in the name of branches to support their Five Star goals.
Sara Wood supported branches in her role as Branch Services and also served as a District Representative alongside Cheryl Fuller, Brenda Van Derbur, and Charlotte Dunham.
Michele Taylor served as our liaison to colleges and universities and coordinated participation for the young women who attended NCCWSL.
Special thanks go to Janani Janakiraman for managing our website and to Jerrilyn Woodard-Entrekin for managing our Facebook presence.
Finally, thank you to the members who served on the board during various periods throughout the biennium: Diane Claiborne-Carr, Chasity Crawford, Tamara Mancini, and Margaret Martin.
Together, these dedicated leaders and volunteers have strengthened AAUW Texas and advanced our mission on behalf of women and girls across the state.
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this outstanding leadership team!
Malinda Gaul
President (January 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026)
AAUW Texas
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Congratulations to our newly elected
2026-2028 AAUW Texas Board!
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Terry Whaley
Austin Branch
Co-President
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Linda Welsh
Austin Branch
Co-President
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Cheri Butler
Northeast Tarrant County Branch
Program Vice President
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Debbie Campbell
West Harris County Branch
Branch Services Vice President
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Georgia Kimmel
West Harris County Branch
Public Policy Vice President
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Larayne J. Dallas
Austin Branch
Secretary
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Vickie Natale
Corpus Christi Branch
Finance Officer
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Brenda Van Derbur
Corpus Christi Branch
South District Representative
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Sharon Lesikar
Georgetown Branch
Central District Representative
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Would you like to become more involved with AAUW statewide? Join a committee! Contact the new state officers to join their committees....program, branch services, public policy. | | |
AAUW Texas Conference
The 52nd Biennial AAUW Texas Conference was held on Saturday, April 25th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, at three locations in DFW at Tarrant County College NE, Houston at Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks, and San Antonio at SAWS Headquarters.
The theme was Energizing and Advocating for Women.
Our first speaker was Valerie Jones, Ed.D., President of Lone Star College Cypress Fairbanks. The final morning speaker was Meghan Kissell, Senior Director of Policy and Member Advocacy at the American Association of University Women.
The afternoon focused on how our branches have carried out our mission and energized and advocated for women through the Five Star program. Paula Jernigan moderated a panel of branch representatives providing insights into the program and how they were able to achieve their stars.
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SAWS Headquarters
San Antonio
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Five Star Panel
Paula Jernigan, M.B.A.
Northeast Tarrant County Branch
Charlotte Dunham, Ph.D.
Lubbock Branch
Marian McElroy, J.D.
Dallas Branch
Claudia Walker, Ed.D.
San Antonio Branch
Kelly Gonzalez, B.S.
Corpus Christi Branch
Diana Guarniere, M.Ed.
West Harris County Branch
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Lone Star College
Cypress Fairbanks
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Tarrant County College NE
Hurst
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Highlights from Defending Equity
by Meghan Kissell
Presented at AAUW Texas Convention 4/25/26
Meghan emphasized that voting education is necessary for our members and our communities. She suggested getting involved in elections and helping educate voters with the AAUW nonpartisan voter engagement campaign, “It’s My Vote!” Access the 2026 Voter Issue Guide, training, and resources from the AAUW website to learn how to increase voter participation in your community. There are election guidelines and Meghan enthusiastically recommends the Download the It's My Vote! sign to use as an activity at branch activities to encourage members to vote. She emphasizes that when women vote, we change the conversation. We know that who is elected affects policy. Make sure your voice is heard! Vote!
To keep up with national legislation, Meghan recommends that all members join AAUW Action Network by becoming AAUW Two-Minute Activists. Alerts on when and how to engage on pressing issues are sent as issues arise. This allows all members to easily take action using a drafted letter which you can personalize and send to your legislators. To sign up, go to https://www.aauw.org/act/two-minute-activist/
Meghan spoke about current federal changes that may affect access to professional versus career degrees due to restrictions in grant and funding policies. Changes to Title IX civil rights law interpretation may limit which students can participate in degree programs. Of major concern to all women should be the Department of Education’s extremely limited oversight of colleges and universities regarding sexual assault reporting and DOE responses. Watch for more AAUW virtual programs with experts discussing how to protect women and girls' education and opportunities, and how to promote inclusion of all students.
Meghan Kissell, AAUW Senior Director of Policy and Member Advocacy, and her team are addressing national issues to keep our members informed. Learn much more by using the AAUW website. The Policy Center and Take Action tabs are a source of Public Policy information.
For Texas issues use the AAUW Texas website, Public Policy section, as a resource.
Georgia Kimmel
AAUW TX Public Policy Chair
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Five Star Criteria vs. the Calendar
The leaderboards shown below are based on calendar year totals. Note, however, that Five Star calculations are based on the July through June fiscal year (FY). As such, when National’s FY26 Five Star Criteria mentions “$30 per member,” or making “a branch contribution,” or retaining “at least 80% of branch membership,” they are talking about the July 2025 through June 2026 timeframe and the February 1, 2026 branch headcount.
Statewide Totals
For calendar year 2025 (CY25, January through December), AAUW National reported the following total donations attributed to individual members, individual Texas branches, and the state “branch”:
$58,043
$55,509 (96%) – Greatest Needs
$1,751 (3%) – Public Policy
$783 (1%) - Higher Education
Branch Totals
During CY25, National reported the following donations attributed to the state and 20 Texas branches, including four branches that were already disbanded or in the process of disbanding:
State $5,000
1. NE Tarrant County $10,573
2. Tyler $8,720
3. Austin $8,274
4. West Harris County $7,316
5. North Dallas $5,510
6. San Antonio $3,447
7. Georgetown $3,064
8. Dallas $1,288
9. Tarrant County $1,144
10. North Harris County $1,140
11. Corpus Christi $653
12. Fort Bend County $565
13. Arlington (D) $341
14. Houston $250
15. Lubbock $245
16. Orange $186
17. SE Harris County (D) $133
18. Polk $85
19. Hill Country (D) $70
20. Amarillo (D) $40
D – Disbanded or Disbanding
Branch per Capita Totals
The per capita totals shown below reflect the CY25 branch totals shown above divided by each branch’s February 1, 2026 (FY26) headcount. Disbanded branches were not included because they do not have a “headcount.” Southeast Harris County Branch, which is in the process of disbanding, was included because its members did not vote to disband until December 2025.
1. Tyler $164
2. North Dallas $125
3. NE Tarrant County $81
4. Austin $57
5. San Antonio $52
6. West Harris County $48
7. Georgetown $44
8. Dallas $36
9. Fort Bend County $22
10. Tarrant County $17
11. Lubbock $14
12. Houston $13
13. North Harris County $10
14. Orange $9
15. Corpus Christi $8
and Polk $8
16. SE Harris County (D) $7
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Five Star AAUW Branch and Affiliate Annual Report
Due June 30, 2026
Click here for the report.
Bylaws with mandatory National Changes Due June 30, 2026
Click here for instructions on how to revise and submit the bylaws.
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New IRS Requirement for All AAUW Branches
Beginning this year, the IRS requires all nonprofits operating under a group exemption to submit annual financial information to their central organization. This applies to all AAUW branches and affiliates.
What you must submit:
- Income Statement
- Balance Sheet
Deadline: June 30, 2026
Where: Submit documents through the Five‑Star Report portal
Resources and a template are available on the Five-Star webpage.
Expanded instructions were provided at the May 11, 2026, Finance/Membership Quarterly Meeting.
Questions? Contact State Finance Officer Vickie Natale.
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Annual Form 990‑N Filing Still Required
In addition to the new regulations, every branch must file its annual Form 990‑N.
How to file:
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Request that AAUW, Inc. file this for you through the Community Hub. If you are filing separately, you still need to notify AAUW, Inc. through the Community Hub.
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A one‑minute instructional video is available
Important: When finished, the confirmation screen must show “tax year… 2026.” If it shows 2025, that is last year’s filing.
Why this matters: Two branches – one active and one disbanded – received IRS notices last month for failing to file their 2025 Form 990‑N. Branches that do not file for 2026 will receive similar notices next year.
Action needed: The Community Hub window is open.
Please complete your 990‑N filing for 2026 as soon as possible.
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League of Women Voters
of Texas
Making Democracy Work Dinner
On April 18, 2026, the League of Women Voters of Texas honored AAUW at the annual conference in Corpus Christi, Texas. AAUW Texas Co-President Malinda Gaul accepted the certificate from LWV Texas President Joyce LaBombard.
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New Legacy Circle Member
AAUW Tarrant County branch is delighted to introduce our newest member of the Legacy Circle, Kathryn Bryan. Kathryn is a charter member of the branch and served as the first president. She has just finished another term as co-administrator for the 2023-2025 biennium. Kathryn is an active participant in Fort Worth organizations that work on behalf of women and girls.
She served as chair of the Women’s Policy Forum of Fort Worth, Network for Executive Women and President of the YWCA of Fort Worth and Tarrant County Board of Directors (now called Center for Transforming Lives where she is still actively involved).
As president and owner of KASAL, INC. Kathryn served on the boards of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Rotary, and Sister Cities International. She is a lifetime member of the Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and served as president of the AAFCS Texas affiliate where she was honored as Professional of the Year, 2010. She was honored by the AAUW as a Texas Woman of Distinction in 2008 and honored as Outstanding Woman Volunteer by City of Fort Worth, 2009.
When asked why she joined Legacy Circle, Kathryn’s answer is: I have joined the Legacy Circle to support the mission of AAUW after I am no longer able to do so.
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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/
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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
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