Maureen Hacker Welcomed as MRTA President

Welcome New MRTA Board President Maureen Hacker

We are Family! When you belong to MRTA, you’re part of the family.

Incoming MRTA Board President Maureen Hacker wants everyone to know that being a part of MRTA is more than just another professional membership to add to your list of accomplishments.

She sees MRTA as an extended family, comprised of many different kinds of people from many different backgrounds, geographic areas and professional areas of expertise. But at the same time, they are a group of people with the common experience of being a part of the Missouri public education community; and with the common desire to ensure that their community, their family, is well taken care of.

Maureen officially took the reins as MRTA’s new board president in September at the (include how many this is) MRTA Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet held at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. She is off to a running start.

She has long been a leader with MRTA, serving as Vice President and President of the Audrain County Unit, and as Region 4 Vice President, a role she held for seven years. Maureen’s leadership skills were noticed by others in the group early on and she was encouraged to take leadership roles.

For Maureen, her MRTA colleagues have always been a close-knit group. “I like to use the analogy that we are a big family, because it showcases our shared experiences and our united goals,” she said. “Let’s let that idea galvanize us as an organization and work together to reach our advocacy goals and increase our membership. Our members are our strength, and our family is powerful!”

She understands the challenges faced by MRTA and the challenges she may face as president. But more importantly, she has put careful thought into helping the group develop successful strategies to meet those challenges.

Maureen is energized to work with the rest of the MRTA leadership team to implement the organization’s strategic plan. While strategic planning is a new experience for most, she is confident that the work is building a foundation for future success.

“I am excited! I know that I have a unique opportunity to lead the organization as we implement this plan,” she said. “It is helping us define and refine our organization to meet the threats faced by public education today.” She continued, “It is imperative to our future growth and success. As president I want to work to ensure all our members understand both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of it.”

She continued, “I really like the way the strategic plan is moving our direction and giving us a wider scope than just pensions.  Public education is under attack, there is no doubt about it. I think that just makes it more important than ever that we broaden our scope. By being more active in our support for working educators and by making better connections and strengthening relationships with the other educational associations who share our commitment to public education, we can accomplish so much more.”

MRTA Executive Director Maria Walden and her team welcome Maureen to her new position. “Maureen has this engaging combination of professional commitment and personal sense of compassion that together, make her both an endearing person and effective leader,” Maria said. “We are confident that she will help MRTA achieve many of our goals during the next year. With her experience, dedication to education, and a clear vision for our association, we can look forward to a future filled with learning, camaraderie, and continued contributions to the field of education as well as a strong pension for our retirees and future retirees.”

In addition to strategic planning, Maureen is also committed to helping MRTA add new faces to the family.

“Growing our membership is vital. In terms of practicalities, we have to be willing to adapt and find ways to encourage not only the continued membership of our current base, but also to increase participation by more, younger and new retirees,” she said. “We need to help them understand the importance of what we are doing, for all educators – active and retired.”

“We are a diverse group, like any large family,” she said. “We come from cities and towns and little spots in the road. Our experiences are quite varied: classroom teachers, nurses, secretaries, bus drivers, principals, counselors, paraprofessionals, librarians, specialists in speech, music, art and many other titles.”

“But I see that diversity, our many experiences both personal and professional, as a source of great strength. And like any large family, despite our differences, we work together for common goals. That’s what will sustain our continued success.”

As President Hacker takes the reins, we are excited to support MRTA’s initiatives and work together to make our association an even more vibrant and impactful community for retired educators. The future is bright, and together, we will write the next chapter in the history of our association.