Third Thursday Community Program –
Join us for a dynamic conversation on how to use your voice in public policy today. Ogie Strogatz and Bette Felton will lead the lively discussion as we explore local action opportunities and non-partisan protests for democracy, rooted in AAUW California’s four Public Policy Priorities:
-
-
Economic Security for All Women
-
Equal Access to Quality Education for All Students
-
Social and Racial Justice for All
-
Increased Representation of Women in Leadership Roles
-
We’ll discuss opportunities for local action on these priorities as well as non-partisan protests for democracy. Leave inspired with a renewed sense of urgency to help heal and strengthen our democracy.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
There is a $10 fee for non-AAUW members.
About the discussion leaders:
Ogie (“O.G.”) Strogatz grew up in northwest Connecticut, receiving a BA in psychology from Vassar College, and an MSPH in health policy and administration from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She served as a regional healthcare planner for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ogie subsequently held assignments in health economics, strategic planning, marketing, and sales with the pharmaceutical company Merck, after which she joined the biotech company Genentech, working on executive communications, employee engagement, and organizational change management. In late 2015, Ogie transitioned from paid employment to focus on volunteer progressive political activism. She is an activist and organizer with Indivisible ReSisters Contra Costa, 350 Contra Costa, and the Center for Common Ground. Ogie is also a co-founder of Lift Up Public Schools, a member of AAUW California’s statewide Public Policy Committee and the School Board Project, and a former co-president of the Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek Branch of AAUW.
Bette Felton grew up in Oakland and attended UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, receiving a BS in Nursing. Work and travel included pediatric, surgical and public health nursing, an MS in Community Health Nursing, and teaching at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Returning to the Bay Area to raise her family, she joined nursing faculty at CSU East Bay where she held senior faculty and administrative posts for 28 years. Bette received her DrPH from UC Berkeley in Health Policy in 1989. She currently chairs the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, serves on the Endowment Committee of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation, and serves on the Board of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU East Bay. Bette has been a member of AAUW for many years and is Program VP for the Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek Branch, in addition to having served as Garden Tour Chair. Commitment to the public policy priorities of AAUW prompts her to learn with the branch and ‘make good trouble’ via programming.
Policy for Attending Branch Functions
If you are feeling ill in any way or have been in close contact with someone known to have COVID or any other significant communicable disease, please do not attend any meeting!
We encourage you to be considerate of everyone attending a function, some of whom might be more susceptible than others. COVID exposure remains a serious issue. If you have any doubts, test, wear a mask, and err on the side of caution.
While there are inherent risks in attending any in-person event, with your help we will do our best to keep everyone safe at our meetings.