Brenda Snider, “The Membership Guru”, has dedicated decades of her life to helping members at OEA as our Senior Membership Accounting Coordinator. She will retire after being at OEA for almost 43 years.
“They have opened doors for me. OEA has been instrumental in allowing me to learn new things and do new things,” said Brenda. “NEA gave me the opportunity to travel and teach classes on processing.”
She loved her job because “there’s a satisfaction in it. I like coordinating it so that I know everything is supposed to be on and correct.” She adds “Working with the payroll clerks to ensure that the accounts are balanced is important to me. Also, training staff on how to work with the current membership system is something that I take pride in doing for our members.”
When asked what retirement looks like, she joked that she has “as many plans as I have work to do.” Her hobbies include reading, quilting, traveling, training her dogs, oil-based painting, and spending time with her family— especially her 2-year-old grandson. She also has been active in her church’s children’s ministry for over 30 years. Once retirement begins, she plans to go on more bus tours with her husband.
Brenda has been known at the office of the “keeper” of things— from extra office supplies, holiday décor, pictures to the discontinued “Lifelong Membership” book. It is an old record book of members who used to participate in the “Lifelong Membership” program. It represents the history of record-keeping with its handwritten entries and tattered cover, but also the deep dedication that people had to be life-long members. Although this program does not exist anymore, Brenda Snider will always be a lifelong member of OEA.
