By Page H. Gifford
Correspondent
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Virginia is seeking members for a potential Rivanna branch. The AAUW is a non-partisan organization that helps advance women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The organization, founded in 1909, was established in Richmond. In 1925, the AAUW formed a statewide organization. Although the organization was established in 1909, it had been forming as early as 1881 to support women college graduates. In an 1885 paper, the organization disproved a prevailing myth that college impairs a woman’s fertility, and most recently, a study documenting the economic impact of workplace sexual harassment. They have supported the academic achievements of many thousands of scholars, from scientist Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, to astronaut Judith Resnik, the second woman to travel in space. From 2020 to 2025, AAUW National awarded 1,538 grants totaling $29,600,000.
Their advocacy efforts include the Equal Pay Act, first proposed in 1945 and finally passed in 1963; the Title IX amendment in 1972; the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993; the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009; and the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was passed by the U.S. Representatives in 2019 but is awaiting action in the Senate.
Member Sally Pattison-Cisna moved to Virginia Beach in 2008. She did not find a job, so she looked for volunteer opportunities. She attended an AAUW meeting and continued with the organization until she moved to Lake Monticello in 2022.
“I was president, newsletter editor, and mostly, membership VP in addition to leading on fundraisers and our STEM conference for middle school girls. I am still a member of the Virginia Beach branch,” she said, but wants to get a local branch started in this area if possible.
Pattison-Cisna spoke about what she believes is the most important issue the AAUW has addressed.
“AAUW’s goal is to inspire women to become empowered with the confidence and knowledge to stand for women’s rights. AAUW National lobbies our congressional representatives to support legislation they believe helps promote equality for women and girls,” she said. “I especially appreciated AAUW’s core commitment to girls and women, especially for higher education and economic security. As a member, if you sign up for AAUW Two Minute Activist, you are sent regular alerts on when and how to engage with your representatives.” She adds that this encourages you to send letters to your legislators, write letters to the editor, and make other timely calls to action. Your participation regarding issues you deem important registers your opinion by contacting your congressional representative at https://www.aauw.org/act/two-minute-activist/.
“Our Virginia Beach branch held an annual STEM conference for middle school girls for five years. We did this in partnership with a local college. I was responsible for recruiting STEM professional women in Hampton Roads to conduct hands-on STEM workshops reflecting their careers,” she said. “We had a keynote speaker. One of whom was deep into the Mars landing application process. One mom wished we could do it every Saturday.
AAUW National also holds a yearly conference for hundreds of college women leaders from all over the country to train for leadership, be inspired, and network. This is the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL).
AAUW Virginia asked Pattison-Cisna to invite women and men to a meeting to consider whether they would be interested in beginning a Rivanna AAUW branch here.
“Many have already signed up to be invited to our meeting,” she said, adding that signing up does not mean you are joining. This would be an informational session to see if people are interested enough to consider joining.
“When we meet, I will describe what having a branch here would involve. To make a branch work here, we would need folks determined to spend a few hours each month to begin relationships with our local colleges and universities, especially to connect with any women’s groups/courses they may already have. We would determine what projects we wanted to initiate and what we could do for fun, too,” said Pattison-Cisna.
She described some of the activities she was engaged in while living in Virginia Beach, enjoying the diversity of AAUW Virginia Beach activities for the city and its branch. That branch had community outreach activities and funded a yearly scholarship, usually for at least $1,000 for women returning to college, They held voter registration and pay equity events in the local community colleges, and also worked with local college women to address the culture of women applying for jobs and/or asking for raises and benefits. They often used AAUW National’s programs Start Smart, Work Smart, and Money Smart, which train women in salary and benefit negotiations and guidance for financial security.
“These programs are designed to help women learn to successfully advocate for themselves and help close the pay gap for women everywhere,” she said.
AAUW Virginia Beach had many other activities, including book clubs, annual banquets, international dining, and Movie Sisters.
“We also had branch meetings with local women talking about their experiences as women in our work world. With Movie Sisters, we supported women artists by attending only movies written, directed, and/or produced by women. Afterwards, we’d have lively discussions at the closest coffee shop about the show and a few other topics,” she said. “I have never agreed on everything AAUW stands for; nevertheless, I enjoy being part of voter registration for college people, helping women and girls think about salary and benefit negotiation, STEM for Girls, and, hopefully, inspiring women to be active in prompting their legislators to support the programs they believe in. This is in addition to getting to know the women and men who our branch might interest.”
“I have met so many friendly folks as I’ve participated in Lake Monticello and Fluvanna County groups the past two years. As mostly retired folks, they may yearn to find a worthwhile activity to fill those hours. If we find enough folks interested, we’ll help with that in a very meaningful way with an AAUW Rivanna Branch,” Pattison-Cisna said.
If you would like to join the meeting to consider beginning an AAUW Rivanna Branch, email, text, or call Sally Pattison-Cisna at pattisonsj@gmail.com or 757.374.8527.
