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VEA-Retired

Retired Education Professionals | VEA

VEA: We'll Always Be Your Professional Community

It doesn’t all stop on the day you retire from teaching or other school employment. Your daily routine might change, but you are still the professional who invested years, as well as sweat and tears, into making our Virginia public schools the best they can be. And you’ll still want to be an integral part of your professional community, the Virginia Education Association-Retired.

Just a Few Reasons VEA-Retired Membership Matters!

  • Staying connected with fellow NEA members and programs
  • Continuing to share your expertise through volunteering and mentoring opportunities
  • Being part of VEA/NEA’s political and legislative efforts to protect your retirement resources
  • Ongoing subscriptions to the Virginia Journal of Education, and VEA’s retiree newsletter, Connections, along with the quarterly NEA Today for NEA-Retired Members
  • Saving money through Association member benefits, including insurance programs, credit programs, loan and mortgage programs, deposit savings accounts, and investment programs

See below for information on who can join and for answers to frequently-asked questions about VEA-Retired.

 

The 2022 Fall meeting of the VEA-Retired Council.

VEA-Retired

Martha Wood Distinguished Service Award

 

This award recognizes retired members who have made significant contributions to the growth of the active and retired Association, the promotion of public education, and the welfare of public educators. Click here for more information on how to nominate outstanding retirees. Nominations are due by Monday, January 9, 2023.

Learn More Here

Let's Connect!

 VEA-Retired is on Facebook!

VEA-Retired is part of the social media world. Have you checked out our page yet? Keep up with your colleagues, post comments about events in your area, and share ideas.

CLICK HERE

VEA-Retired Makes Connections

VEA-Retired publishes Connections, a regular newsletter to keep you informed on all the action, including elections, events, and activities. Check out the latest issue.

CLICK HERE

Get in Touch

VEA has great local contacts for VEA-Retired around the state. Get in touch!

CLICK HERE

Frequently Asked Questions About VEA-R

Who's eligible to join?

VEA-Retired and NEA-Retired are programs of the Virginia Education Association and National Education Association for members who have retired from employment in the field of public education. Lifetime membership in VEA-Retired is available to retired NEA members with at least five years’ experience.

Membership is open to all retired VEA members, even if they now live out of state.

Current active members can join as pre-retired subscribers prior to their retirement to lock in membership and avoid future price increases.

What is a pre-retired subscriber?

A pre-retired subscriber is any Association member who buys a lifetime membership in VEA/NEA-Retired before he or she retires from active service. An active member continues to pay regular dues until he or she retires. At that time, the pre-retired subscriber becomes a lifetime VEA/NEA-Retired member.

How much is the lifetime membership?

A one-time amount of $500 buys membership in both VEA-Retired and NEA-Retired. Education Support Professionals pay $380.

Annual membership is also available. The membership year runs from September 1st through August 31st and dues are currently $75 per year. Education Support Professionals pay $61.

 

What are the advantages of being a pre-retired subscriber?

You lock in the cost of membership at the current price and avoid any price increase, which may occur before you do retire. Also, your membership will be continuous as you move from active to retired status.
After retirement, you will still be informed and involved in your profession and your professional association. Also, you can continue to take advantage of the NEA Member Benefits Programs, including the attorney referral and liability insurance programs.

Is VEA-Retired the same as the Virginia Retired Teachers Association?

No, it is not. The Virginia Retired Teacher Association (VRTA) and the city or county TRA groups are affiliated with AARP. Only VEA-Retired and NEA-Retired are programs of VEA and NEA.

How do I join VEA-Retired

There are three ways you can join VEA-Retired today! Click the button below for more information.

Click here to join

Who do I contact with additional questions?

Contact VEA-Retired President Lola McDowell, or Bea Snidow, the VEA-Retired staff liaison (804) 775-8328.

Contact VEA-Retired

VEA-Retired’s Leadership Team

Current officers of VEA-Retired are:

  • Lola McDowell, president
  • Malia Huddle, vice president
  • Kathy Davis, secretary-treasurer
  • Dot Walton, VEA board member-at-large
  • Dennis J. Pfennig, immediate past president

The president and other officers are elected by VEA-Retired members to a two-year term and may be elected to a second two-year term. The president’s term includes serving as a delegate to the VEA Delegate Assembly and the NEA Representative Assembly.

Getting in Touch

These folks are local contacts for VEA-Retired chapters around the state.

  • Judith Knight, Arlington
  • Joan Franklin, Chesterfield
  • Angela Peterson and Ruby Grandison, Elizabeth River
  • Marni Matyac, Fairfax
  • Maureen Abrahamson, Hampton Roads (York/Poquoson)
  • Rita Cooper, Hampton Roads (Hampton)
  • Patricia Caldwell-Wilson, Loudoun
  • Katherine Hairston and Teresa Setliff, Martinsville
  • Bruce Smith, Prince William
  • Lola McDowell and Vashti Mallory, Richmond
  • Bea Morris, Valley

The VEA-Retired Council consists of the president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, immediate past president, the VEA-Retired member(s) of the VEA Board of Directors, and an elected representative from each of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts. Those elected representatives on the 2022-23 VEA-Retired Council are:

  • Holly Jackson-Conrad, Congressional District 1
  • Shirley George, Congressional District 2
  • Sid Neighbours, Congressional District 3
  • Vashti Mallory, Congressional District 4
  • Connie Coates, Congressional District 5
  • Vacant, Congressional District 6
  • Barbara Wilson, Congressional District 7
  • Karen Beasley, Congressional District 8
  • R. Edward Fifer, Congressional District 9
  • Marni Matyac, Congressional District 10
  • Allison Batty, Congressional District 11

Want more information?
Contact VEA-Retired President Lola McDowell, or VEA staff liaison Bea Snidow (804) 775-8328.

Contact VEA-Retired

Join VEA-Retired Today!

CLICK HERE

Unfilled Positions

Teacher shortages are a serious issue across the country. Here in Virginia, there are currently over 1,000 unfilled teaching positions.

Take Action Now
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    116 South 3rd Street
    Richmond, VA 23219
    Tel: 804-648-5801 or 800-552-9554
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