Janet McIntire
Pre-Retired

Background
I've been an instructional assistant in the Salem/Keizer, Oregon, school system for 23 years. I've served as full-time president of my ESP local and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Education Association (OEA).

Why I Joined NEA-Retired
I've been active in OEA for many years, and it just seems natural to keep going. OEA has put a lot of time and energy into training me, and I feel like giving back. I'm also driven by a desire to help fellow ESPs. Teachers have been organized in Oregon for decades, but ESPs have only had the right to organize since the 1990s. Many ESPs don't know the full value of OEA-Retired; they don't realize how much their lives can be affected by budget bills, ballot measures, and other legislation. More retired ESPs need to stay involved and remain politically astute and active. I want to help make that happen.

Lorraine Hora
Recently Retired

Background
I was a school counselor for 35 years in California and Hawaii, and I now live in Hilo, Hawaii. I currently serve as president of Hawaii State Teachers Association-Retired (HSTA-Retired).

How I'm Spending My Time In Retirement
HSTA-Retired is a big priority. As president, my goal is to keep building our program so we can preserve retirees' health benefits (which are overseen by the state), support Active members whenever possible, and keep retirees experiencing positive personal growth through the Association. I also volunteer to work in hospice and respite care. I spend some of my time with adults who are seriously ill, but I also draw upon my career experience as a counselor to provide bereavement counseling to children who have lost a loved one.

Harold Gilbert
Active Retired

Background
I taught school for 40 years. My last job was teaching seventh- and eighth-grade students in the gifted program at a middle school in Gallatin County, Tennessee. I've served on the board of examiners for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and I've been a Sumner County Commissioner since 1976.

Why I'm Committed to Activism
I've always been active! I started out working in the civil rights movement before teaching. I joined NEA-Retired because more retirees need to realize how much they can contribute to their own well-being and others' by getting involved. I've learned how much difference one person can make, because I sit on the county council and chair its financial management committee. We just passed a tax increase that will mean much healthier budgets for 37 schools. But you'd better believe it took a fight to pass it, and we didn't get everything we wanted. I try to spread this message--that we all need to fight hard for our schools, and that our efforts do make a difference.