President's Message

​I hope that you are having a great summer. Fall is on the way!

It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve as the DKG Maryland State President.
There are many things to learn, tasks to complete, and so many wonderful women
who will join together to share ideas for the upcoming years. It is an exciting time!
Our slate of officers is complete, the committees are formed, and we are all ready
to GO! The DKG Maryland 2023-2025 biennium has begun!

In June, I had the opportunity to attend officers’ training in Irving, Texas, hosted
by DKG International. Together, Janey Snyder, Sharon Darling, Weezie Carey, and
I represented DKG Maryland, participated in a wide variety of professional
learning events, interacted with other DKG members from countries throughout the
world, and gained a current understanding of our organization at the international
level. In July, Janey Snyder and I attended the DKG International Conference in
Detroit. The sessions presented there were all outstanding and provided various
insights into the potential growth of our organization as well as a focus on self-care
for our members.

At the Convention banquet this past April, I presented my theme for my next two
years as President. I chose Celebrate Success.

There are many things to celebrate at the state and chapter levels. Many of our
chapters and members are already engaged in a wide variety of activities and
projects which support the DKG Vision and Mission.

Vision: Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide
Mission: To promote professional and personal growth of womeneducators.
As we plan our goals, we need to focus on our Seven Purposes:
1. To unite women educators of the world in a genuine spiritual fellowship
2. To honor women who have given or who evidence a potential for distinctive
service in any field of education
3. To advance the professional interest and position of women in education
4. To initiate, endorse and support desirable legislation or other suitable
endeavors in the interests of education and of women educators
5. To endow scholarships to aid outstanding women educators in pursuing
graduate study and to grant fellowships to non-member women educators.
6. To stimulate the personal and professional growth of members and to
encourage their participation in appropriate programs of action
7. To inform the members of current economic, social, political and
educational issues so that they may participate effectively in a world society.

As we plan together to Celebrate Success, let’s take a look at the past, present,
and future:
What activities, projects, and events does your chapter already participate in that are
worth repeating?
What ideas does your chapter have to add to the current success?
What do you foresee as possible future short and/or long-term projects?

Remember:
The key to Success is to focus on Goals, not Obstacles!
Celebrate Success as you accomplish your Goals - Large and Small

Membership
An important topic that we need to address is the retention of our members and the
possible addition of new members to our chapters. Statistics that I learned over the
summer are:
74% of the members of DKG International are between the ages of 66 and 75.
8% of our members are under 46 years of age.
Based on what I see in my DKG world, these facts certainly ring true. Can we find
ways to increase our membership numbers?
Can we find ways to engage our current membership and encourage those
members to attend state functions? What I have learned in a few short months is
that many of our Maryland members have a whole lot to contribute to the success
of our organization, but do not attend state functions.

Through our continued Diligence, Determination, and Dedication;
Through our continued Knowledge, Keenness, and Kindness; and
Through our continued Generosity, Gratitude, and Goal Setting;
We will make a difference.

I will be visiting all of the DKG Maryland chapters in the next two years. I can’t wait to
visit with “old” friends and colleagues, and meet many of you whom I haven’t had
the pleasure to know.

Sincerely,
Sally Nazelrod