By:  Sandra Thompson
NFBPWC’s Immediate Past President

We have lost another female trailblazer, Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day

O’Connor. She was the FIRST woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.

She was born in 1930, in El Paso, Texas. She was the daughter of a rancher and was raised on a 198,000-acre ranch in Arizona. At the age of 16 she enrolled in Stanford University. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in economics in 1950. She remained at Stanford Law School. She served on the Stanford Law Review. Day received the Order of the Coif, indicating she was in the top 10 percent of her class.

Upon graduation from law school in 1952, O'Connor had difficulty finding a paying job as an attorney in a law firm because of her gender. O'Connor found employment as a deputy county attorney in San Mateo, California, after she offered to work for no salary and without an office, sharing space with a secretary. After a few months, she began drawing a small salary as she performed legal research and wrote memos.

When her husband John Jay O’Connor was drafted, she decided to go with him to work in Germany as a civilian attorney for the Army's Quartermaster Corps. They remained there for three years before returning to the States where they settled in Maricopa County, Arizona, to begin their family. They had three sons: Scott (born 1958), Brian (born 1960), and Jay (born 1962). Following Brian's birth, O'Connor took a five-year hiatus from the practice of law.

O'Connor served as assistant Attorney General of Arizonafrom 1965 to 1969. In 1969, the governor of Arizona appointed O'Connor to fill a vacancy in the Arizona Senate. She ran for and won the election for the seat the following year. By 1973, she became the first woman to serve as Arizona's or any state's Majority Leader. She developed a reputation as a skilled negotiator and a moderate. After serving two full terms, O'Connor decided to leave the Senate.

In 1974, O'Connor was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court, serving from 1975 to 1979, when she was elevated to the Arizona State Court of Appeals. She served on the Court of Appeals-Division One until 1981 when she was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan. She retired in 2006. When she first arrived at the Supreme Court there was not even a women’s bathroom.

According to her son, Jay’s, eulogy that she brought a formidable energy to her personal life as well, her son noted that her way of relaxing after a long day at work was “three rounds of tennis or 18 holes of golf.” She was a voracious reader and a dancer along with her husband. She even took disco lessons. Her son also said that she honed her skills questioning attorneys by grilling her sons why they were out late on a Saturday night. Her son said that her final message to her three sons was “Our purpose in life is to help others along the way.” He continued “What a beautiful, powerful and totally Sandra Day O’Connor sentiment.”

Wishing you all a happy, joyful, peaceful and healthy 2024!

By:Sondra Nunez
NFBPWC Secretary 2022-2024

NFBPWC National Board Meeting:

New Date: January 30, 2024

Time: 5PM PST | 6PM MT | 7PM CT | 8PM EST

Time zone tool: Convert Time ZoneInstantly | Time Difference Calculator

Main Topic: 2024 Budget

We will be sending an email requesting a written report from each officer, committee chair, and affiliate president. Please be prepared to submit your written reportby January 20, 2024, to secretary@nfbpwc.org.

All members are welcome and guests are encouraged for this Board of Directors meeting. We continue to highlight this term's theme to "Cultivate Connections, Create Community" with the focus issue of Women on the Move.

• Zoom details to be sent after registration.

BPW International Theme 2021-2024: New Actions through Cooperation

By: Daneene Monroe Rusnak, 2^nd Vice President of Advocacy, NFBPWC 2020-2024
Equality Has No Deadline!

Take Action on the ERA! Equality Has No Deadline!

****One Click Politics landing page for NFBPWC****ERA Action on NFBPWC Website

Link to ERA virtual backdrop for download:Equality Has No Deadline VirtualBackdrop

NFBPWC members are invited to join the A-Team for the next Advocacy Committee Meeting on February 8, 2024.

Vice President of Advocacy, Daneene Monroe Rusnak, will preside as the Committee Chair as we discuss current and future issues, initiatives and goals.

Time Zones:

7pmET | 6pmCT | 5pmMT | 4pmPT

How: Online via Zoom. Details will be provided upon registration. Who:All interested members are welcome.

Helpful Links:

• Committee webpage

• Projects we are currently focused on

• View the 2022-2024 Advocacy Platform Flyer

Register at: https://nfbpwc.wildapricot.org/event-5485102

By: Kathy Kelly
1st Vice President of Membership, NFBPWC (2021-2024)

The Membership Committee wishes each of our BPW Sisters a Happy 2024! We have some big plans for this year!

FIRST, LET’S WELCOME NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS!

RENEW	Elizabeth Herrell	Ohio
New	Jacqueline Petrick-Lee	Washington
RENEW	Janice Freel	Texas
New	Pamela Richards	US Virgin Islands (!!!)
New	Kim Collier	South Carolina - Student
RENEW	Beth Gibson Lilja	Virtual – Minnesota

Next, get ready for our BIG membership drive:

Double or More in 24

with a chance to win fabulous prizes with every new member you bring in before the National Convention next summer. More details to follow in February.

The National Membership Committee usually meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, holidays excluded. In January, we plan to meet on January 8^th only. Join us to learn more about the tools and events NFBPWC offers that can support your club to "Double or More by'24"

Contact Kathy Kelly, vpmembership@nfbpwc.orgfor more information.

And finally…

What is CSW? And what the heck are all these acronyms???

Join us on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, for an informative program to learn more about BPW’s Consultative Status at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

We’ll discuss the agenda (Side Events vs. Parallel Events, SDGs, Priority Theme and Review Theme), BPW-sponsored events, Leadership Summit, Gala Dinner and other social activities like Broadway shows and dinners out. I call CSW my “Global Slumber Party” as we expect over 100 BPW sisters to join us from around the world. We’ll share best practices for how to get there,

what to wear and where to stay. We’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A. We hope to address all your questions and concerns so that you will join us March 11-22, 2024, in New York City!

Register at: https://nfbpwc.wildapricot.org/event-5548719

Let’s Do More Together in 2024!

 The New Year is a great time to celebrate our membership in this amazing organization by cultivating connections and creating community in 2024!  We know that collectively; our influence is stronger. We can empower each other by creating new opportunities for networking, burgeoning friendships, and collaborations.

There is a humble sense of accomplishment and immense gratitude to our members for what we have done as an organization in 2023. We have created an organization where women from all walks of life network to make a difference in gender equity while we continue to support each other as we continue the fight. Our committees and taskforces have facilitated achievements of success and recognition. We are indebted to each other for the many volunteer hours that have made a true difference for women. Thank you to every member for your commitment and invaluable contributions. I’m deeply grateful to all of you for making NFBPWC a membership organization that truly can move the needle for women and women’s issues.

We leave 2023 with sadness as we mourn the loss of BPW members who graced our organization with their presence and inspiring leadership. Let us all take a moment to remember those who walked these proverbial halls before us and ensure that their legacy carries through for another 100 years!

We continue to create programming for our members and guests that increases our propensity for connection and our ability to empower women. In 2024 NFBPWC will have its Biennial Conference in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania from July 18-21, 2024 with the theme: “Equaliy Has No Deadline!” (https://www.nfbpwc.org/Biennial-General-Assembly)  BPW International will hold their triennial Congress in Mar del Plato, Argentina from November 17-21, 2024 with the theme: “New Actions through Cooperation.” (https://www.bpw-international.org/events/bpw-international-congress-argentina-2024/) There is more to come this year and we cannot wait to share our community with our current and future members!

I look forward to celebrating and honoring one another, as each member brings their own gifts to the conversation.  The women of today need to hear us. The women of tomorrow want to see us standing strong against misogyny, racism, violence, and injustice. We have the power to make a difference as we continue to honor our interconnectedness as humans, more specifically as women.

NFBPWC will continue to light a path for our future that promotes justice, solidarity, diversity, inclusion, innovation, and celebration in 2024. Sending personal wishes of celebration, health, and progress around the globe!

By: Sandra Thompson
NFBPWC’s Immediate Past President 

I would just like to take this time to wish all of you a very happy and healthy holiday season.  I hope that you enjoy it with family and friends.  Below is a poem that I found that my mother had sent out to friends and family many years ago.  I wanted to share it with you.

Holidays

There is a list of folks I know

All written in a row

And every year at holiday time

I go and take a look

And that is when I realize that

These names are a part

Not of the book they’re written in

But of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone

Who has touched my life sometime,

And in that meeting they’ve become

The rhythm of the rhyme.

I really feel I am composed

Of each remembered name.

And while you may not be aware

Of feeling quite the same

My life is so much better

Than it was before you came.

For once that you have know someone

The years cannot erase

The memory of a pleasant work

Or of a friendly face.

So never think my holiday cards

Are just a mere routine

Of names upon a list,

Forgotten in between.

For when I send a holiday card

That is addressed to you

It’s because you’re on that list

Of folks I’m indebted to.

And whether I’ve known you

For many years or few.

In some way you have had a part

In shaping things I do.

So every year when the holidays come

I just realize anew

The biggest gift that God can give

Is knowing folks like you.

By: Sondra Nunez
NFBPWC Secretary 2022-2024

To my NFBPWC sisters near and far, Happy Holidays! Yes, I specifically wrote Happy Holidays because I often hear and see conflict, drama and offense surrounding this one simple phrase. Many argue in December, it’s Merry Christmas and nothing else. But to some it is Happy Hanukkah, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Kwanzaa, or any number of other phrases that significantly represent the true meaning of the season in ways personal to each person. 

For me, December with all its many holidays and personal traditions, represents a time of joy, reflection, and renewal. 

Joy: I count it a joy I am able to give to others. I count it a joy seeing the faces of those big and small light up as they share holiday traditions with those they love. I count it a joy to spend time preparing gifts for those who need a little bit of help this year. I count it a joy spending time in celebration with friends and family.

Reflection: For me, the holidays, especially the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is when I spend the most time reflecting on every life blessing and how I might be able to share what has been given to me with others. I reflect on those who are suffering, on those who are battling illness, or the loss of loved ones and I pray they will find peace. There is reflection of the accomplishments and challenges of the year and how I might do better, be better in the future.

Renewal: In many ways the month of December represents renewal to me. It is the signal of the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It is a time to allow myself to let go of offenses and to ask for forgiveness for those I might have wronged. For me, December offers the opportunity to show up for others in the best way possible and offers a glimpse of the person I want to become. 

No matter how you celebrate this time of year, whether this year was difficult, successful or a combination of both and more, I pray you and your loved ones will be blessed with joy, peace, and love. No matter the holiday you are celebrating, I wish you continued and lasting happiness.

By: Daneene Monroe Rusnak
2^nd Vice President of Advocacy, NFBPWC 2020-2024

EQUALITY HAS NO DEADLINE!

Take Action on the ERA! Equality Has No Deadline!

****One Click Politics landing page for NFBPWC****

ERA Action on NFBPWC Website

Link to ERA virtual backdrop for download:   Equality Has No Deadline Virtual Backdrop

By: Kathy Kelly
1^st Vice President of Membership, NFBPWC (2021-2024)

HAPPYHOLIDAYS from the Membership Committee! 

WELCOME NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS!

NEW

Kimberly Miller	Colorado NW Metro Student
Alexis Haskins	Colorado Denver Student
Nicole Mora	Colorado Virtual Student
Henrietta M. McElwee,D.C.	Pennsylvania
Kate Earnest	Pennsylvania
Zennie Dizon	California El Monte

RENEW

Ladorian Morris

Student - New York

Get ready for next year’s membership push, “Double or More in ’24” with a chance to win fabulous prizes with every new member you bring in before National Convention next summer.  More details to come in January!

The National Membership Committee meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, holidays excluded.  Join us when you can to learn more about the tools and events that we offer that can support your Affiliate to “Double or More by ’24!”

Contact Kathy Kelly at VPMembership@NFBPWC.org for more information.

What is CSW?  And what the heck are all these acronyms??? 

Join us on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, for an informative program to learn more about NFBPWC’s participation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.  

We’ll discuss the programs (Side Events vs. Parallel Events), BPW- sponsored programs, Leadership Summit, Gala Event and other social events like Broadway shows and dinners out that will be on the agenda.  We’ll share best practices for how to get there, what to wear and where to stay.  We’ll have plenty of time for a Q&A.  We hope to address all your questions and concerns so that you will join us March 11-22, 2024, in New York City!

A Prayer for a Peaceful Winter Solstice

As we enter the darkest time of the year, the winter solstice, we can find light in our connections at NFBPWC. We are fortunate to have such inspirational members working to accomplish our goals as we continue to educate, unite, and advocate for women. It is an honor to be connected to such a diverse community of women at various stages of their careers and from different backgrounds, each with her own unique story about being a business and professional woman in the United States of America.

Our network is further broadened through the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW) which includes members in over 100 countries in 5 continents. BPW UK, through a registered IFBPW project: https://www.bpw-projects.org/a-van-for-chernihiv/, recently sponsored a “Van for Chernihiv – BPW Help for Ukraine.” NFBPWC members across the USA donated over $1,000 in support of this project. BPW UK President, Jo Kinsey, sent us her thanks for our assistance with this project and stated:

“The help you have sent will let those women [in Chernihiv, Ukraine] know they are not forgotten; they are valued by all of us.”

Unfortunately, this is not the only region of the world that is being affected by the tragedy of violence and war. The loss of human life, and the loss of humanity itself, around the world is heartbreaking.  Women often act as advocates of peace in times of strife and uncertainty while bearing the consequences of violence; this time is no exception. As a non-partisan and secular membership organization, we aim to communicate our solidarity with all women by offering them a hand in friendship and support through even the most harrowing of times. In the USA, many of us will comfortably celebrate with our friends, family, and community in December. Despite being secular myself, I would like to take a moment to invite you to pray for peace on Earth. To that end, I would like to share the “Collect” written by Mary Stewart in 1904, in hopes that it helps guide us all to be the better version of ourselves as this year ends and the new one begins.

COLLECT
Keep us, Oh God, from pettiness;
Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.

Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking.

May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice.

May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.

Let us take time for all things;
Make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.

Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straight-forward and unafraid.

Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are at one.

And may we strive to touch and to know the great common human heart of us all, and, oh, Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!

~ Mary Stewart, 1904 (adopted by NFBPWC in 1920)

Let’s continue to celebrate and honor one another, as each member brings their own gifts to the conversation.  The women of today need to hear us. The women of tomorrow want to see us standing strong against war, misogyny, racism, violence, and injustice. We have the power to make a difference as we continue to honor our interconnectedness as humans, more specifically as women.

NFBPWC will continue to light a path for our future that promotes justice, solidarity, diversity, inclusion, innovation, and more in 2024. Sending personal wishes of celebration, health, and peace around the globe.