State AAUW leadership stays all in The County

PRESQUE ISLE – If you ask Pat Rathbun and Lucinda Hebert about leadership in Aroostook County, they’ll tell you it’s here.

On July 1, Rathbun, a Presque Isle resident, will begin her tenure as Maine chapter president of the American Association of University Women. She will succeed Hebert of Caribou overseeing branches from northern Maine to York County.

Both women said in interviews Tuesday that a president from Aroostook County is uncommon, but that a northern Maine native succeeding another in the position is rare.

Hebert attributes at least part of that to the fact that Aroostook County members exhibit strong leadership qualities.

“I’m sure people have different theories, but I’m more inclined to think it’s the nature of the women we have in [Aroostook County] who recognize the importance of working towards the goals that AAUW stands for,” she said. “We don’t take education for granted, we understand how important it is, and we want to make sure everyone has that opportunity.”

AAUW, founded in 1881, describes itself as an organization that promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong learning and “positive social change.” It has about 100,000 members nationwide.

The incoming and current Maine presidents will be on hand Friday and Saturday in Orono for the state AAUW convention, though the actual presidential transition will not take place until July.

State AAUW officials were unable to say Tuesday how many of their chapter presidents have been from Aroostook County or whether such a succession had occurred before, but Kate Scott, chairwoman for this year’s AAUW state convention, said it was, at the minimum, atypical.

“It just happened that the people in the nominating committee suggested another Aroostook County member for president,” she said Tuesday.

As incoming state chapter president, Rathbun will oversee a 500-member organization that has nine branches, including Caribou, Houlton and Presque Isle.

Rathbun became an AAUW member in the 1970s and said a big reason she joined was because of what it offered her.

“One of the things it offers is leadership and personal development,” she said. “I certainly have enjoyed personal benefits from my membership in the organization, like opportunities to try different things and develop my own skills in leadership areas.”

Goals for her two-year tenure include increasing state organization membership and using a public policy impact grant that the state chapter received from the national AAUW for a “Get Out the Vote” effort this fall.

Rathbun also will continue an effort previously undertaken by Hebert to seek changes in national AAUW bylaws to allow women without higher education degrees to become organization members.

Hebert said the state chapter believes it is important to allow women without degrees the equal opportunity to fight for the educational rights of their daughters and other women.

“We recognize the value of education and try to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to get a good education,” she said. “We see that as the hope for our future.”

For more information on AAUW in Aroostook County, contact Hebert at ahebert@maine.rr.com, Rathbun at praauw@maine.rr.com, or visit the organization’s Web site at www.bairnet.org/organizations/aauw.