Livingpower For all who have made a living and now wish to make a life
North Carolina
Retired
Governmental
Employees’
Association
NCRGEA Board of Directors
Linda S. Suggs, Morrisville,
President (Dist. 8)
V. Vann Langston, Raleigh,
Vice President (Dist. 8)
Clifton B. Metcalf, Lake Junaluska,
Treasurer (Dist. 1)
Martha Sue Hall, Albemarle
Secretary (Dist. 6)
District Directors
District 1
Edward J. Sheary, Weaverville
District 2
Charles K. Beck, Lenoir
Linda K. Story, Granite Falls
District 3
Larry F. Kepley, Lexington
Ben L. Neal, Clemmons
District 4
Alice L. Bordsen, Mebane
Thomas W. Lane, Butner
District 5
Irene B. Pollard, Farmville
Tony E. Perry, Camden
District 6
Evelyn C. Gerdes, Charlotte
District 7
Beverly D. Stewart, Whispering Pines
N. Frank Lewis, Lillington
District 8
George B. Chapman, Raleigh
Suzanne P. Merrill, Raleigh
Michele Nelson, Raleigh,
Director-at-Large
District 9
Melissa E. Bartlett, Carolina Beach
Michael R. Taylor, Emerald Isle
Volume 35, Number 5 September-October 2019
President’s Message
In a world where we have
endless ways to talk, listening
couldn’t be more important.
Let’s face it, listening is one
of the most important traits a
person can have. You can’t have
empathy without being able to
hear another’s plight. You cannot
create transformative change
without hearing what a situation
is. And you can’t serve a
vibrant association approaching
almost 70,000 members without
keeping an ear open to, yes, you
guessed it, you.
Our recent efforts are all about hearing you – all to help shape
and will continue to do.
Recently we hosted a series of member focus groups in the
Piedmont and western North Carolina to get feedback on our
current efforts and hear what you prioritize as important, as well
as at our spring district meetings in eastern North Carolina. We
will continue to gather your thoughts and ideas at our fall district
meetings. You told us that we need to increase our advocacy
efforts and that we need to become more engaged in local communities.
You told us we need to do more to maintain pension
values.
We’re listening and we plan to keep listening.
This year we increased our lobbying efforts. We were
reached legislative leadership on issues of concern for our association.
We have a busy interim plan in place to meet with leg-
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