Thank you to all our members and especially our Leadership Development Team (LDT) under the guidance of Janet McElroy, for successfully guiding our branch to the honor of being recognized as a Five-Star branch.  This is wonderful testament to all the work completed unselfishly by our branch membership, not only last year but all the previous years.  We applied and completed all five stars in one year!

What did we do??

AAUW’s Five-Star National Recognition Program rewards affiliates for aligning their work with the AAUW mission of advancing gender equity for women and girls. The following categories must be demonstrated – each one earns a star:

1. Advancement — How does our branch recruit and retain members?
2. Public Policy and Research – What does our branch do to engage in Public Policy and Research?
3. Governance and Sustainability – What is our branch’s Succession Plan?
4. Programs – How has our branch continued our Programs during a pandemic?
5. Communication and External Relations – How does our branch communicate with our members and the community?

The LDT worked with our board and select members to develop a strategic plan and a succession plan, a requirement for the 5 Star program.  Our excellent community programs, including the Title IX 50^th Anniversary Interbranch Council event, were foundational to our application. Also, our newest Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitment for 2022 was critical for success.  Of course, all the work at the Wildflower Run has woven a message of a very involved and successful branch!

California has ten branches that have all five stars and nationally there are only 29 branches total that hold this honor.

by Marian Sacco, Leadership Development Chair