Branch Meetings and Programs

Monthly Branch Meetings are held each month (except January, June, July, and August).  Check each month’s Twigs for further details.  All meetings are open to visitors.

The dates and topics of Branch meetings for 2022-23  are listed below.  For further information, click here.

BRANCH PROGRAMS 2022-2023

Welcome to the 2022-23 program year for our branch.  We have an exciting lineup of speakers for your enrichment and entertainment.  All branch programs will be on the first Wednesday of the month starting in September and excluding December and May when we have the banquets.  They are scheduled at the Glen Ellyn Police Department (65 South Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn) in person with hybrid ZOOM, except for January which will be all ZOOM.  The meetings will start at 7 PM with the speaker starting at 7:15 and the business meeting to follow the speaker.  If COVID intervenes, a meeting may be switched to all ZOOM.  ZOOM links will be sent 7-10 days prior to each meeting via an all-Branch email.

September 7, 2022
FAIR HOUSING 101
Nafia Khan will discuss the important work of HOPE Fair Housing which is the oldest and largest fair housing organization in Illinois. The organization started in 1968 after the Fair Housing Act was passed.  Nafia is the Director of Outreach, Events & Fundraising for HOPE Fair Housing and is statewide treasurer for the Independent Living Council.

October 5, 2022
CITIZENS UNITED, DARK MONEY, AND GENDER EQUITY
Dr. Steven Macek, Professor of Communications and Chair of the Department of Communications and Media Studies at North Central College, will discuss the devastating effects of dark money on the political situation in our country since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

October 15, 2022
LUNAFEST

November 2, 2022
IMPLICIT BIAS AND HOW IT AFFECTS DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION                                    Deanie Brown will discuss this important topic and how it affects all of our lives whether we realize it or not.  Deanie serves as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Illinois Supreme Court and Judicial Branches and is currently Chair of DEI for the AAUW Springfield branch.

January 4, 2023
LADIES IN WAITING……..AND STILL WAITING
Dr. Mary Virginia Orna, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the College of New Rochelle, New York will discuss the gender imbalance in the list of Nobel Laureates.  We had to wait until 2020 for two women to join the other five women chemistry laureates—3.76% in the Nobel’s 120 year history.  The talk will highlight women who were unsuccessfully nominated or never nominated at all.

February 1, 2023
WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND THE SUPREME COURT
Dr. Julie Strauss, PH.D specializes in American Politics especially the Supreme Court decisions and the Role of the Media in politics.  Julie received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University and spent two years working on Capitol Hill before graduate school.

March 1, 2023
HOW TO CREATE RESILIENT, EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES IN A COVID WORLD                              Kelwin Harris is an urban planner working as a county assessor for Cook County.  He has B.S. degree from Cornell University in City & Regional Planning and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Harvard University.  His talk will emphasis how addressing racial equity will  improve economic prospects for all.

April 5, 2023
THE RISE (REFLECTION, INQUIRY, SELF-AWARENESS AND EMPATHY) PROGRAM                        Dr. Donna Kiel is the founding Director of the Office of Innovative Professional Learning in the College of Educational at DePaul University. She will discuss her RISE Program which supports educators with strategies to engage students and integrate racial equity in teaching.