Seeking Volunteer to be Delegate to AAUW of Michigan Annual Meeting via Zoom

Saturday April 29, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Nancy Spedowski was born and raised in Big Rapids. She graduated from Big Rapids High School in 1962 and attended Ferris State College until 1964. Nancy moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1965 and was employed by Schlitz Brewing Company as a Private Secretary for one of the Vice Presidents. In 1970 Nancy moved to Dowagiac, Michigan where she was a co-owner of a funeral home for 25 years. She was active in the Dowagiac community while raising her three daughters. Nancy moved back to her home town of Big Rapids in 1993 to be close to her mother. She started her employment with Daggett-Gilbert Funeral Home in 1994 as the Office Manager. She is currently semi-retired working two days a week for the funeral home. 

When Nancy is not working, you can find her volunteering at Big Rapids First United Methodist Church, Mecosta County Historical Society, Big Rapids Elks Lodge 974, Big Rapids Eagles Aerie 2535, or working on veteran projects. She also enjoys camping with family and friends, reading, sewing, and crafting, including making handmade greeting cards. Most of all she loves spending time with her seven grandchildren and watching them in their various sporting events.

Nancy became interested in AAUW when helping at their annual book sale. While she was there, she met many new friends who encouraged her to join AAUW. She believes in empowering women to become their best while striving for leadership positions. 

My name is Laurel McLean. I grew up in Lincoln Park, which is a suburb of Detroit. I attended Central Michigan University for my first two years of college and then transferred to Michigan State University. My degree is in Business Education/Office Administration. The major focus of my career has been in data processing, particularly in systems administration. I have taught high school, adult education and at the elementary school levels and am now tutoring at Angels of Action. My most enjoyable position was being an administrative assistant. It allowed me to utilize my computer skills as well as supporting others.

My husband, Bruce, and I moved from Belmont to Canadian Lakes three years ago. We have three sons, a daughter-in-law and grandson. We live on the Highlands Golf Course and have enjoyed golfing in multiple leagues. You may see us sitting on our deck with our Yellow Lab, Becca. Crafting has been a big part of my retirement life. I enjoy sewing, knitting, and making cards. Many of our vacations have involved camping in Michigan and the western states. We have a beautiful country to live in and I am enjoying our travels to discover its beauty.

I have joined the AAUW group because I wanted to be involved in a group that promoted and supported women. AAUW provides an opportunity to share experiences and provides intellectual growth.

Thanks to Deb Kennedy who compiled the information, we now have an updated membership directory. You can download the file here. Please send corrections and updates to AAUWBigRapids@gmail.com.

We will hold our fourth and final Cocktails & Convos event of the year on Monday, May 8, in the lower level of Artworks. Our discussion topic will be Economic Equity. We will share issues on women's financial security, student debt, equal pay, etc.

Watch for more information from Membership co-VPs Sarah Lucas and Deb Kennedy. If you need posters to put up at work or other places, click the image at the left to download the poster file.

Still Seeking Board Nominations

The Executive Board is is still accepting nominations for upcoming vacancies. Our bylaws require that we have the following elected positions: President, Vice President for Programing, Secretary, and Vice President for Membership. All positions except Membership VP need to be filled for the coming year. If you aren’t sure that you have time or enough experience to fill one of these positions by yourself, we’ve had great success sharing the responsibilities of a position between two people, so please consider whether you might be willing to be a co-officer. The Board is a very supportive and collaborative group, so you would not be flying solo even if you didn’t have a co-officer for your position.

Each position has a two-year term of July 1, 2023 to June 31, 2025, and there is a limit of two consecutive terms. Here are brief descriptions of positions that need to be filled:

The President acts as the branch’s chief administrator, sets the agenda and presides over meetings, and serves as the official spokesperson and representative for the branch. This officer is responsible for submitting reports and forms required by AAUW National and AAUW of Michigan. The AAUWMI President holds quarterly Zoom meetings with branch presidents. 

The Vice President for Programing coordinates branch programs and compiles a calendar of programs and events. Members of the branch volunteer to organize individual programs so the VP doesn’t have to do all the programing by herself. The VP checks that details and arrangements for individual programs don’t slip through the cracks, but overall programing is a shared activity within the branch. The Programing VP coordinates with the Communications Director to publicize programs to branch members and the community at large. The AAUWMI VP for Programs holds quarterly Zoom meetings with branch Program VPs.

The Secretary records minutes of board and branch meetings and distributes them to the branch membership. Minutes should summarize the discussion and actions taken at meetings; minutes don’t need to be a transcript. The AAUWMI Secretary holds occasional Zoom meetings with branch Secretaries.

Contact any of the current board members* if you have questions about any of these positions. We encourage self-nominations. Members may also nominate other members, but please confirm that your nominee is willing to serve in a role before submitting her name. Please email nominations to aauwbigrapids@gmail.com.

*Current board members are Jennifer Cochran, Leah Monger, Deb Kennedy, Sarah Lucas, Millie Gillies, and Marilyn Jablonski. As she completes her final term, we thank Millie Gillies for her service as Secretary. Deb Kennedy and Sarah Lucas have one more year to serve on their current term as co-Vice Presidents for Membership.

The Immovable Feast and Annual Meeting, May 4

Our final meeting of the fiscal year, previously known as the Moveable Feast, will be Thursday, May 4, at 6:00 p.m. Marilyn Jablonski and Kristen Salomonson have traditionally co-hosted this potluck dinner in their homes across the street from each other; however, they are afraid that our branch has grown large enough that we won't all fit inside either of their houses if bad weather sends us indoors. What a good problem to have! Our now Immovable Feast will be held in the lower level of Artworks. We will also hold our annual meeting and elect new officers. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the date.

AAUW-Big Rapids | AAUWBigRapids@gmail.com