Hello! I am pleased to report that the FF section has several exciting announcements, including a new slate of officers. I (Elizabeth Sharp) am the new section Chair, Libby Blume is Chair-Elect, Janel Leone is the Secretary/Treasurer, Kristen Benson and Kimberly Crossman are the new Student/New Professional Representatives and Lisa Taylor is Past Chair. We recognize that we follow a long tradition of strong and energetic feminist leadership and we hope to build on this rich legacy in the next two years.

The 2011 conference was a great success. The conference program was infused with feminist scholars, our 2009-2011 S/NPs (Russell Toomey, Megan Haselschwerdt) resurrected the feminist mentoring program, and we sold cookbooks containing feminist twists to classic (and not so classic) dishes from more than 75 section members. The cookbook helped raise money for the Jessie Bernard S/NP Awards.

We are eagerly planning the 2012 conference. We will be considering health issues both nationally and globally. In particular, we hope to offer sessions discussing health disparities among LGBTQ individuals; the interplay between women's health and policy; eco-feminism-discussing how the environment and family health intersect; and reproductive health, including global concerns such as maternal mortality. We also hope to consider more deeply theoretical intersections and diversions of feminist and queer theories as well as Chicano feminism.

If we can get enough feminists out of the library and into the kitchen, we will nourish the bodies and minds of our colleagues by having a feminist cook-off (using the recipes from the cookbook).

Finally, drawing on the feminist tenant of praxis (i.e., putting theory into action), our section is encouraging all NCFR members to be mindful of her/his environmental impact (in the spirit of eco-feminism) while attending the conference. At our 2011 business meeting, Ramona Oswald initiated a dialogue among section members to generate ideas about the ways in which NCFR members can present posters in a "greener" and less expensive way. For example, NCFR members could consider recycling posters to local elementary schools & use "old school" poster format (i.e., use multiple 8 ½ by 11 sheets of paper) instead of the large one-page posters. Currently, we are working with NCFR staff to help promote more wide-spread  eco-friendly practices.

Student/New Professional
FF Sponsored Awards
Nominations Due Date-April 15, 2012

The Jessie Bernard Outstanding Research Proposal from a Feminist Perspective award is presented in memory of Jessie Bernard, former NCFR Board Member and pioneer in the field of feminist family studies. This award recognizes a graduate student/new professional who has demonstrated excellence in research and potential contribution to feminist scholarship. The Jessie Bernard Contribution to Feminist Scholarship Paper Award recognizes a graduate student/new professional who has published or is about to publish a paper using feminist frameworks and methodologies in research. To apply, please see instructions on the NCFR web site http://www.ncfr.org/sections/ff or contact the 2012 Jessie Bernard Awards Chair, Libby Balter Blume, at jbawards2012@gmail.com.