Member Profiles

May 2007

Julie Hasler-Foley

Background
I’ve taught grades K-8 for 32 years in Helena  and Bonner, Montana. I’ve served as a local Association president, vice president, and political action chair.

Why did you join NEA Pre-Retired?

There are two main reasons. When you’re a new teacher—and it was true of me—you don’t know what came before that made your salary and benefits possible. It’s up to career veterans to educate young teachers about the importance of Association activity. Second, our state legislature is vital to the health of public education. In Montana, we have citizen legislators; it’s not a full-time job. So it’s especially important that Association members make sure our state lawmakers fully understand the issues in public education and the needs of our schools, students, and teachers. Working through NEA-Retired is a great way to get that done.

E. Ann Chambliss

Background
I taught kindergarten through second grade for 40 years in the Decatur, Illinois, public schools. I’ve been a local Association president, and have served on both the IEA and NEA boards.

How are you spending retirement?
I divide my time between traveling for fun, working-part-time for my old school district, and staying active in the Association. I enjoy political work, so I’ve been very involved in campaigns for the legislature. Retirement is great, but I need to stay connected to education. Both my parents were educators, so I’ve always been around it. I make sure I have time just for myself, and time for Association work. NEA-Retired helps keeps my mind active.

Bob Barcus

Background
I had a 43-year career in education in Indiana, split between teaching and working for the state Association. I was a local Association president when I taught.

Which NEA-Retired activities interest you most?
Building our state Retired Association. I’m currently NEA-Retired chair for Indiana, and since I retired in 2002, we’ve tripled our membership. We now have 4,600 Retired members in Indiana doing critical work for public education. We need new state legislation every year to improve the benefits of teachers and retirees, so there is plenty to do—I keep busy lobbying when the legislature is in session. But I have plenty of family time, too. My wife and I vacation in Florida twice a year, and visit with our four grandkids as often as possible. And in two years, we’ll celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.