"Change is slow. Like a tree, it grows from the bottom up, and we still have a long way to go. But we just need to keep going and to celebrate how far we’ve come."
— Gloria Steinem
In Gloria Steinem’s Memory,
We Keep Going…A Celebration of How Far She Helped Us Come
Today, we join millions around the world in mourning the loss and celebrating the extraordinary life of Gloria Steinem. Gloria was more than an icon; she was the architect of our modern movement, a fierce champion for equality, and a lifelong source of inspiration for everyone fighting for justice and human rights.
Gloria’s unwavering commitment to freedom and bodily autonomy will forever be a north star for organizations like Zonta. We honor her memory through our work and, as we begin our new year, by renewing our pledge to organize, fight for women’s equality, and lift each other up — just as she did every single day. Rest in power, Gloria.
Yes, A New Day, New Strengths and New Thoughts
It's September!
It's the start of our 2026–27 Zonta year, and I'm excited to be with all of you. As we head into this coming year, we're in the lucky and enviable position of having funds in our coffers and 36 active members who share the Zonta spirit.
When the calendar turns from August to September, the Board of Directors and I go right into planning for the year ahead. To guide that process, we asked all of you to participate in a Member Satisfaction survey in May; I led a planning strategy discussion in June, and I met with our new Board for a retreat in August.
Your insight, counsel, and advice will shape the agenda for our upcoming meeting on September 10th. One key takeaway was about the structure of our committees. Some were shouldering too much of the burden, particularly around our events. This year we're holding one large event, so to help lighten that load, we created a new ad hoc Event Management Committee. Many of our members have project management experience from other organizations, and this is a great way for us to tap into those skills.
Another takeaway from the survey was the need to balance our committees so members can focus on one interest and work across committees toward it. So if you joined Zonta Foothills because you're passionate about climate advocacy, you can now join the Zonta Says NOW Team — a group that spans everything from Scholarship to Advocacy, all with a climate focus.
I'm excited to share more of the changes we've made this Zonta year. Every one of them is aimed at making your time with Zonta Foothills meaningful and impactful.
I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I can't wait to dive into this year with you.
Best, Nancy
September Club Meeting: Celebrating New Ideas
Thursday, September 10th
Dinner & Social time at 5:30; meeting begins at 6 pm
Meeting Location: Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO 80301.
Zonta Events Coming Up
September Board of Directors Meeting - Wednesday, September 9, 5:30 pm. Location: via Zoom.
September Club Meeting - Thursday, September 10, 5:30-7:30 pm, Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO 80301.
Beth Haynes Selection Meeting - Friday, September 11, 8:00 am - 11:30 am. Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO 80301. Join our Advocacy Committee’s Zonta Says NO team as they host the Boulder District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Rapid Response Team’s annual Beth Haynes Selection Process. Members from throughout the Boulder County Justice Community will gather to nominate and select the winner of our annual award.
Z Club Voter Registration Drive with New Era - Tuesday, September 22, training at Club’s weekly meeting. Voter registration sign-up at Boulder High School, September 23 or 24th TBD.
Zonta International BLUEPRINT Information Sessions- Thursday, September 24. at 12 noon- 1 pm and again at 6:00 pm-7:00 pm. Identical review sessions will be held on Zoom
Zappy Hour - Saturday, September 26, 9:00 am -11:00 am. Location TBD
Z Club Induction, Tuesday, September 29, 4:30 pm - All Zonta members are welcome! Please join our Z Club and help us welcome new, future leaders into the Zonta family.
GoldenZ Club Investing workshop, Wednesday, September 30, 5:00 pm mingle and 5:30 pm workshop - Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO 80301.
October Board of Directors Meeting - Wednesday, September 30, 5:30 pm. Location: via Zoom.
District 12 Governor’s Seminar - Saturday, October 3, via Zoom. Time TBD.
Advocacy Committee Meeting, Monday, October 5, 12 noon. Pica's Boulder Mexican Taqueria 5360 Arapahoe Ave F, Boulder, CO 80303
October Club Meeting - Thursday, October 8, 5:30-7:30 pm, Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, 3262 61st St, Boulder, CO 80301.
Beth Haynes Award Ceremony -October 22, 2:30 pm, Jury Assembly Room, Boulder County Justice Center, 1777 6th St, Boulder, CO 80302. Join us to honor the recipient of our Beth Haynes Award.
Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County Summer Update
Zonta Chefs Share Their Magic!
Two Amazing Dinners for our Zing for Zonta Winners!
Two donors purchased dinners from our Zonta Chefs at Zing this year, so our Zonta Chefs went to work! First, it was a dinner for 8, complete with Shrimp Scampi and an array of gorgeous desserts.
In early August, the Chef dinner was hosted by Zonta member Suzi McVoy, who invited all of the Z Club’s most recent graduates to enjoy a dinner in her lovely home. It was a send-off party for a group of 8 students who started classes at CU Boulder, CU Denver, CSU, and Metro the following week! Thank you, Suzi!
And thank you to our Zonta Chefs - Ginger Barnes, Colleen Farrell, Sheila King, Marta Lindrose, Kay Meyer, and Nancy Rowe. They work together to prepare the menus, and then they donate their time, culinary talents, and all of the food that they prepare. Their contribution is a big part of our fundraising success, and we are very grateful.
2026-27 Committees:
Refined Structure to Help Us Work Smarter, Not Harder
Our June visioning meeting resulted in recommendations to help us work smarter and stronger. We left that meeting with the charge to look closely at our organizational structure to determine how to do just that. We are so lucky to have amazing members who want to share our time and talents with our organization. The challenge is putting that talent into action, inspiring each one of us and understanding that we all have other commitments in our lives; so balance is key. It is this inspiring membership that offers us a unique opportunity for self-reflection.
We have done just that, and coming on the heels of decisions reached in Vancouver, we realize that our priorities can drive our structure. To that end, we have introduced teams to our organization. We hope that this new structure will make us stronger as an organization, help us work smarter, give everyone increased opportunities to work on the things we are each passionate about, and support the priorities of Zonta International.
It looks like this:
We are proposing that teams not be limited to members of the main committee. We would like to cross-pollinate to allow our members to work on a project even if they are not on the committee. If they want to work on Climate, for example, they can join the Climate Team even if they choose not to serve on Advocacy full-time. Or they might also want to work to select our Climate Action Scholars even if they are not formally on the Scholarship Committee.
This is a new way of doing business for our committees, so we appreciate that the implementation process will have its stops and starts, for sure. Our committee chairs will probably need to act as project managers, working with each small team as they plan and move forward on their project-specific tasks.
At our September business meeting, our committee chairs will present their ideas for implementing this approach. We will all have the opportunity to learn about what is going on across the Club and think about the projects that we would each like to work on.
Katharina Booth Award - Intern Has an Impactful Summer
In late May 2026, our Advocacy Committee broadened our partnership with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office - Domestic Violence Acute Response Team (DVART) by launching a $5,000 paid summer clerkship for a law student working in the DA’s office.
Our 2026 winner and first recipient was Mina Shekarchi, a J.D. candidate entering her second year at the University of Texas School of Law. She joins the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office as a 2026 Fellow with Fair and Just Prosecution, and she was honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Katharina Booth Award. Her approach to public safety and criminal justice reform is grounded in systemic analysis, survivor-centered practice, equity, and institutional accountability.
As her summer with the Boulder DVARTs drew to a close, Sheila King and Pam Malzbender had the honor of meeting up with Mina. She was an inspiration, sharing the wide range of experiences she had in her 6-week stint, and was very grateful for the opportunity.
The newly created Zonta Foothills - Katharina Booth Award, named in honor of a respected, longtime member of the district attorney’s office, expands Zonta Foothills’ impact in domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and victim support. In giving the DA’s Domestic Violence Acute Response Team this new recruiting tool of a paid clerkship, we hope to help them build a staff of prosecutors dedicated to this important work. You can learn more about Katharina Booth, Mina Shekarchi, and our award on our website.
Note From Mina:
ZClub Off to a Great Year
Celebrating our Seniors and Kicking off a New Year!
Water shortages caused us to move our annual lake party to the park this year but it was still a great way to celebrate our seniors and the awesome year we had with both our Z and Golden Z Clubs. Big thanks to the Zonta Foothills members who joined us to meet the students and help kick off summer.
Summer went quickly and…
Our new group of Z Club officers is already off to a GREAT start. They met in early August to plan out their fall semester, and it is filled with interesting speakers, service projects, and advocacy activities. Claudia Ibarra and Gaby Lopez, our Zonta mentors and Educatez Committee Chairs, are helping the team coordinate their plans through December. We can be on the lookout for:
Voter registration drive with New Era to get BHS students ready for the November election.
New member induction
Plastics Recycling Drive
Diaper and Feminine Hygiene Drive at Safeway
Share-a-Gift
And lots more!
End of Year Z Club Party
Z Club Board summer planning session
Invite Your Friends to Zappy Hour!
Lets Inspire Some New Members
It’s Zappy Hour Time!!
Bring your friends, work associates, and family. Saturday, September 26, from 9-11. We will have a casual brunch to share information about our Club and Foundation and talk about the rewarding experiences you’ll have as a member of the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County. Our Boulder location will be confirmed shortly.
Zonta International Convention,
Vancouver, Canada - July 11-14
The Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County had two voting delegates at the 2026 International Convention this year: Marta Lindrose and Pam Malzbender. Also attending and making their voices heard were Kay Meyer (Alternate) and Tommie Atanasoff. Vancouver was all decked out with the international flags, having just hosted the FIFA World Cup, but we just figured they were there to celebrate us - the more than 1484 Zontians from 64 countries. District 12 was well represented with Zontians from Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.
Key Meyer joined more than 500 Zontians in a march around Stanley Park for Zonta Says NOW! It was a sea of teal that spread the word around the city! Vancouver knew we were here and saying NOW to Climate Justice! We all attended workshops on topics like membership growth, social media, AI, and then the work began. Here is a recap of our three convention days.
The meeting kicked off with the opening ceremonies, followed by Zonta International President Salla Tuominen. She spoke of Zonta's accomplishments over the last biennium in a world that has seen geographical tensions and backlash tearing down the rights of women and girls. She reminded us of the ZI motto of "Sustainability, Spirit and Speaking up for Human Rights" and spoke to the work that each Club needs to do to defend the rights of women and girls.
We met Dr. Farah Alibay and Dr. Elizabeth Frank, two Amelia Earhart Fellows who spoke about the life-changing impact of their Fellowships. Most inspiring of all was learning that Frank was a 2011 Fellow from CU Boulder! She is the Chief Scientist at Interlune, a commercial space startup focused on sustainably harvesting natural resources from the Moon—for use in quantum computing, fusion energy, and medical imaging.
Day 2 began with keynote speaker Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Founder of Sacred Earth and renowned Canadian advocate for climate justice. Her presentation, titled "Implement a Just Energy Transition: Climate Justice and Women's Rights," described the impact of oil drilling in the Alberta Tar Sands and its effect on the ecosystems, crops, health, and natural beauty that have sustained local people for hundreds of years. The details were hard to hear, especially the stories of missing women, sexual assault, and the other side effects of the "Man Camps" that have sprung up throughout the region. Despite the tragedy, her message was hopeful. She pointed to the many ways local communities are building alternative energy sources throughout the province and urged Zontians to take action around the world by "Finding the Yes in No," and building what is good in our communities.
We discussed issues that impact the future of Zonta International and our Club. Much of this discussion set the foundation for future conversations about the new Zonta International Blueprint for the Future. This plan was introduced by Salla Tuominen, the 2024-26 Zonta International President, and the International Board. We will be presenting the details of the blueprint at the September meeting.
The remainder of the long day was spent discussing changes to Zonta International bylaws, which impact scholarships, funding, dues, membership guidelines, and even our Golden Z Club. Here’s a breakdown of the highlights of the motions that we voted on today. (NOTE THAT THE LANGUAGE DESCRIBING EACH RESOLUTION BELOW MAY APPEAR A BIT CUMBERSOME BECAUSE IT IS TAKEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BALLOT.)
1. APPROVED - Resolution regarding the Women in STEM Award.
The Women in STEM Award should be continued as an annual education award at the club, district, and international levels for women in all STEM fields. Instead of a defined age group (currently 18-35 years), it shall be related to enrolled students from the second year of an undergraduate program through the final year of a master’s program. This will be a $5000 annual stipend.
2. APPROVED- Resolution regarding the Women in Business Leadership Award
The international biennial award for the Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award should be an annual award.
3. APPROVED- Resolution regarding the “Zonta Says NO to violence against women” Campaign
The campaign "Zonta Says NO to violence against women" shall be continued in the biennium 2026- 2028.
Rationale: "Zonta Says No" was developed in 2012 to promote Zonta's credibility and visibility, according to the goals of the biennium 2012-2014. The campaign should be continued because:
"Zonta Says No to violence against women" is a Zonta-owned instrument that will further enhance Zonta's credibility and visibility.
It is a tool that helps all clubs to work on Zonta's mission. It combines local action with the International Service Projects run by ZI. "Zonta says No to violence against women" links the local work to ZI and helps to promote it to a wider range.
ZSN involves all main Zonta fields of activities (Advocacy, Service, PR & Communication, UN and Council of Europe, Membership). Furthermore, it helps Zontians on all levels to get connected and work together. Consequently, the campaign supports the exchange and networking of all members within the Zonta world.
Many Zonta Clubs around the world already take part in "Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women". This can be seen at "zontasaysno.com". This fruitful work should not be jeopardized by discontinuing the campaign. All clubs should have the opportunity to benefit from lessons already learned
Zonta International Treasurer, Souella Cumming, presented the proposed 2026-28 Zonta International Foundation Budget.
Here is a breakdown of how our major scholarships and projects will be funded following delegates’ approval.
1. Global Programme To End Child Marriage. See a detailed description of this project here. This project passed with 100% of the delegates present voting to approve a 2026-28 allocation of $1,500,000 US dollars.
2. Laaha: A Virtual Safe Space for Women and Girls. See a detailed description of the project here. This project passed with 97% of all delegates voting to approve a 2026-28 allocation of $750,000 US dollars.
3. Gender Transformative Mechanism in Climate. See a detailed description of the project here. This project passed with 97% of all delegates voting to approve a 2026-28 allocation of $750,000 US dollars.
4. Delegates heard video presentations about two critical projects and were asked to VOTE FOR ONE. It was a hard decision to pick between Standing for Afghan Women OR Global Feminist Tech and Innovation Lab. While both sounded like important programs, 72% of the delegates voted to support Standing with Afghan Women. See detailed description of the project here.
Finally, the assembly installed the 2026-28 management team, including:
President: Fernanda Gallo Freschi (Italy)
President-Elect: Sandra Venn-Brown (Australia)
Vice President: Renée Coppock (USA)
Treasurer/Secretary: Monika Geise (Germany)
Note: Renée is from our own District 12, Billings, Montana. Some of you may have met her at district meetings.
Our New District 12 Governor, Deb Beaty, was also installed. Deb is from the Denver II Club and has attended a number of our meetings this year, helping us with officer installations and member inductions.
Please come to any one of us with your questions or thoughts. Thank you for having us represent our Club at this year’s conference; it was an honor.
Marta, Tommie, Kay and Pam
District 12 Convention Attendees
Kay with the D12 Zonta Says NOW Marchers
International commeradere
Pam and Marta with CU Amelia Erhart Fellow Dr. Farah Alibay
Zonta International 2026-28 Officers
Zonta International Blueprint
Zonta International is looking to the future, and our leadership has developed a plan for a new worldwide structure beginning in 2028. This plan was discussed at the Vancouver Convention.
There are many opinions about these sweeping changes, which we will share in full, but in the meantime, here are excerpts from the document to help us all understand the changes. The following background is excerpted (and edited) from the document.
As a global membership organization, Zonta International has been supporting women and girls for more than 106 years. While our vision and mission remain as relevant as ever, the challenges of a declining and aging membership base are affecting:
Our ability to enhance Zonta’s visibility as an international women’s rights organization, and
The impact of our global advocacy efforts and international service programs.
The 2030 Strategic Plan was developed in 2020 to give the organization a longer-term, future-oriented focus. As this has implications for Zonta’s governance, 2024–2026 International President Salla Tuominen established a Governance Working Group “to analyze how the Zonta International governance structure could be streamlined and modernized” to ensure Zonta’s long-term sustainability. They have produced the Zonta International Blueprint for the Future based on the following organizational impacts:
Declining membership and its effect on income and donations.
Inequitable distribution of members, clubs, areas, and districts.
Inflexible structure.
Limited availability of future leaders.
Emergence of informal alternative structures.
Uneven compliance with the law and best-practice governance.
Unsustainable financially.
Overlapping roles between district and area levels.
Multiple communications from Headquarters, districts, and areas to clubs/members.
During the last biennium, the Governance Working Group concluded that the existing structure is outdated, complicated, inefficient, inequitable, multilayered, and financially unsustainable. It has met with concern from Clubs and districts around the world, especially in the United States. This will be presented and discussed at our September Club Meeting.
The International Board and Governance Advisory Committee has set a deadline for feedback on the Blueprint for the Future as of 31 October 2026. Please send us your feedback, questions, and suggestions.
To that end, we will host member information sessions on Thursday, September 24. One will be at noon and the other at 6 pm. These will provide opportunities for you to hear an overview of the Blueprint, pose questions, and express your opinion. We will then formulate a Zonta Foothills Club response, which will be open for review and comment by all members before our October member meeting. In the meantime, please direct your questions to Kay Meyer and Pam Malzbender.
A Message from International President Fernanda Gallo Freschi
https://www.zonta.org/Web/Web/News_Events/Articles/WelcomeLetterFernandaGalloFreschi.aspx