The 2025 Annual Business Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City. Nearly one hundred
ninety delegates and guests attended. Tillie Barckley presented the Memorial Ceremony which included a poem and a MRSPA staff created slide show honoring our members who passed away this year. Reginald Ott,Montgomery County, and Bonnie McElroy, Carroll County, placed a rose in a vase representing each local association as the names
were called.

The meeting Program and Memorial bookcovers, name badges, as well as the Memorial slide show and gift pens reflected the celebratory of Starry, Starry, Night. President-Elect, Alice Mitchell, Dorchester County was elected by acclamation. Wanda Molock, Caroline County, and Dr. Wanda Robinson, Prince George’s County, were elected by acclamation as non-board members of the Nominating Committee. The new and returning officers were installed by Dr. Debbie Chance, Talbot County, Area III North Director. Individual and Local Association project Community Service Awards were presented during the meeting. Derrick Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, brought greetings and shared the status of the pension system. Mary Pat Fannon, Executive Director of PSSAM (Professional State Superintendents Association of Maryland) spoke of the issues the state and local superintendents are facing as the federal government reduces or eliminates federal funding for educational
programs and grants. Both speakers shared valuable and timely information.

Three MRSPA Foundation classroom grant winners and two MRSPA Foundation scholarship winners shared messages of gratitude. They explained the importance of the grants and scholarships to their success and to that of their students. MRSPA Foundation raffle and door prize winners were drawn. The 2026 Annual Business Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday May 5, 2026.

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” This is a quote once uttered by Vidal Sassoon. I’ve been thinking about that and so far, can’t argue with it. We have been working hard in recent months building our membership, revitalizing our logo and website, following the 2025 legislative session, and having our Annual Business Meeting and committee meetings. I kept busy visiting many of our retired local school personnel and wrapping up my first year as President. At the Annual Business Meeting in May, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of our organization. There, we unveiled a new logo. Last year, an ad hoc committee worked with Herrmann Advertising out of Annapolis to design something to appeal to potential members. The folks at Herrmann asked committee members about colors, logos and designs and shared lots of different variations that matched up with what we had discussed. After several committee meetings, a new design was selected. Herrmann described it this way: The overall design is simple, modern and refined, with an abstract 'flipping pages' icon seamlessly integrated into the typeface to symbolize continued learning and sharing of knowledge. The purple color conveys the idea of wisdom, excellence, and legacy, reinforcing MRSPA's dedication to supporting retired educators. The lowercase typeface for MRSPA, paired with the softer purple, makes the logo feel welcoming and friendly, and the shape of the icon mirrors the top piece of the 'r' in MRSPA. This is part of an ongoing campaign to attract and retain new members. We need to get the word out that we exist and to let people know we’re a fun bunch!

There are also membership benefits, not the least of which is connecting with other colleagues who are members. Summer is almost here and what better time to connect with people. When you do, talk to them about MRSPA: who we are and what we do. We’ve discovered there are a lot of people who might join, but
they’ve never heard of us. There are opportunities for involvement in areas of interest like legislative, community service, scholarship, travel and more. We want people to know that retiring doesn’t mean we don’t care or have nothing left to give. Only now, we can give when we want, where we want, and how we want. After all, if not now, when? If not us, who? It sounds like work, and to some degree,
it is. But remember, the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. This is the kind of work that will make MRSPA more successful.

I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing and fruitful summer, whatever that means for you. Don’t forget to talk to people you know who are thinking about retirement, nearing retirement, or retiring. Many hands make light work. The more, the merrier! Be safe and stay
health