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A Fond Farewell, From the NEA-Retired President, August 2023

This will be my last editorial, as my term ends on August 31. It has been a personal and professional pleasure to serve you. No one ever told me … , you fill in the blank. I learned as I went along, and I made many mistakes. But each one helped me learn and move forward. I see only new, greater, and better things happening under the very capable leadership of our newly elected president, Anita Gibson. Please welcome her and give her grace in her decision-making and support throughout her term.
Outgoing NEA-Retired President Sarah Borgman

As I mentioned in my farewell speech at the Retired Annual Meeting, in June, we have come so far in our six years together, and I am confident we will go even further. What a joy to recall our accomplishments. May I remind you that we always need to set goals bigger than our dreams in order to gain what is possible.

Thank you for your support, your many kindnesses, and your plain, old hard work to accomplish what needed to be done. Thank you for answering the call of service on committees and especially on fundraising for the political action committee. Thanks to those of you who lobbied tirelessly with a multitude of emails and phone calls. Thank you as well for never giving up on ending the government pension offset and windfall elimination provision, known as GPO/WEP, which unfairly deprive many retired educators of the Social Security benefits they have earned. We’ll get there some day! State NEA-Retired presidents, thank you for your leadership and for getting the job done at home. 

Please keep our motto before you: We are NEA-Retired. Our commitment continues. It speaks volumes about our aspirations, our intent to continue the work we began many years ago, and the knowledge that we are needed more than ever. Always, but always, say our name! 

Wishing you each success and much happiness.

Librarian leans over seated students at the library who are reading a book

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