AAUW Mission and Action January/February 2008

In This Issue

AAUW Leadership

AAUW Welcomes New Executive Director Linda Hallman

AAUW on the Web

AAUW Joins the Blogosphere

AAUW at Work on Pay Equity

AAUW Featured on NBC Nightly News
Get Ready for Equal Pay Day 2008!
2007–08 Campus Action Project Teams Selected

AAUW at Work on Voter Education

Make Informed Decisions During the 2008 Elections!
AAUW Teams Up With Large Coalition to Mobilize Women to Vote

AAUW Notes

Every Member Poll Draws Record Response!
AAUW Mission & Action Has a New Look — and a New Name!

AAUW Resources

AAUW is pleased to welcome Linda D. Hallman as its new executive director. Hallman joins AAUW with a long history of executive-level association and foundation experience in the Washington, D.C., area. Most recently, she served as vice president of policy and government strategy, external and member relations, with the National Alliance for Health Information Technology in Washington, D.C. "Over the past year, AAUW has taken bold steps in new directions, and I am honored to be joining this powerful and dynamic organization," said Hallman.

AAUW recently launched an online blog, AAUW Dialog, to provide timely commentary on current news and events and the way they relate to AAUW’s mission. Periodic entries from guest "bloggers," including outstanding AAUW members, fellowship and grant recipients, and donors, will help illustrate the work of AAUW at all levels. AAUW joins several states and branches already using blogs to spur dialogue and spread the word about our critical work. All visitors are encouraged to share their thoughts about the issues covered in the blog. Stay up-to-date on all the latest! Visit the AAUW blog regularly at http://blog-aauw.org or subscribe to the AAUW blog RSS feed.

AAUW's Behind the Pay Gap report and the subject of pay equity were prominently featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams special series "The Truth About Boys and Girls." The segment included interviews with Catherine Hill, author of the report and AAUW director of research, and Janet Conney, a former LAF plaintiff and an AAUW member. You can watch the segment on the MSNBC website, on your own media player, or on the AAUW website.

On January 24, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee held a hearing on the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843), which addresses the Supreme Court’s recent, wrongheaded decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. AAUW has been helping to move the bill forward, and state and branch public policy chairs have been holding in-state meetings with Senate staff. On Equal Pay Day, April 22, AAUW community leaders will mobilize to educate others about pay discrimination and to unite their communities in support of this bill. Visit AAUW’s Pay Equity website for ideas, tips, and resources to use in your community. You can also urge your senators to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act through AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist. With the exciting prospect of this bill moving forward in Congress, all AAUW members must do their part to promote this legislation.

In December, seven teams from around the country were awarded Campus Action Project grants of up to $5,000 to implement projects based on recommendations from the AAUW Educational Foundation research report Behind the Pay Gap. The selected projects focus on promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among women and girls; encouraging women to negotiate for better quality jobs and pay; and raising awareness of the gender pay gap with the goal of ending gender discrimination. To learn more about this year’s Campus Action Projects, visit the AAUW website.

AAUW has joined with the Every Woman Counts Coalition for the 2008 election campaign season to mobilize women to vote and urge candidates to talk about issues important to women. Formed by Lifetime Networks in partnership with Hearst Magazines, including Redbook, CosmoGirl!, and Marie Claire, the Every Woman Counts Coalition comprises leading national nonprofit organizations such as AAUW. Joining the coalition has given AAUW access to coalition-sponsored polling on the issues women are most concerned about in the upcoming election. Education ranked first, with jobs and the economy also near the top of the list. You can read more about AAUW’s voter education campaign and partnerships on the AAUW website.

The recent Every Member Poll, which was included with the Fall/Winter edition of AAUW Outlook and also available on the AAUW website, received nearly 12,000 responses from members. We would like to extend a special thank you to all the members who took the time to share their thoughts about AAUW. Stay tuned — we’ll be releasing the results of the poll later this spring!

Notice anything different about this e-newsletter? In addition to the recent redesign of AAUW’s website, we’ve updated our look to bring you all the latest AAUW news in an attractive new format. We’ve also changed the name of this e-newsletter — ever so slightly! — to remind all members of the vital link between AAUW’s mission and the important work our members do every day. Do you have any suggestions or comments about AAUW Mission & Action? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Please e-mail editor@aauw.org.

We welcome your comments on AAUW Mission & Action. Please send feedback to editor@aauw.org.

You are receiving this e-bulletin because you are a member or affiliate of AAUW. Mission & Action is a bimonthly bulletin that brings AAUW news and updates directly to your e-mail box. Members can read previous editions of Mission & Action online. If you would like to unsubscribe from future Mission & Action editions, please unsubscribe here. If you would like to update your membership information or e-mail address, please do so online or by e-mail to records@aauw.org.