by Dale Cousins, Membership Committee Co-chair
Member Profile: Ouida Watson
Ouida Watson feels that LWV members are dedicated, hard-working volunteers who come together to advocate for changes to make the world a better place. We pay it forward.
She has been an active and dedicated member of the League of Women Voters of Wake County since joining the local League in 2017. She brought to our League the perspective and work of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery, Alabama, her former residence. There she knew of the League’s work in redistricting and anti-gerrymandering, VOTE411.org, and candidate forums.
Ouida hails from Birmingham, Alabama, where she taught high school health and physical education for 14 years. She also sponsored cheerleading teams on the local and district levels and began to adopt, early, the benefits of technology. She completed her Master of Arts in Education and earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Education (CASE). Her experience, education, and interests led her to work in community public health, where she developed curriculum for the public schools involving AIDS/HIV education. Next, she took on several roles in the Alabama Department of Education, ending up as a curriculum development and technology specialist. This work linked directly to her next role with the NC Department of Public Instruction as a federal grants administrator and regional technology consultant. Since retiring in 2015, Ouida has volunteered for groups and causes that ring true to her, including the League of Women Voters.
The League’s work in promoting fair elections/voting and democracy for all appeals to her values. In the past few years, she has worked on VOTE411.org, virtual candidate forums, and other tasks within the realm of Voter Services. Since the summer of 2020, she has worked with the development of the League’s DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee, which she currently co-chairs with Shannon Halbur. This committee sponsors monthly collaborative sessions for members to learn and discuss the history, challenges, and current state of affairs of our society as seen through a diversity lens.
Ouida would like for the League to work toward the passage of the For the People Act and to become more engaged in the Commission for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation movement. She would like to see the League’s membership become more diverse—in all aspects of the meaning.
Her advice to new members? Explore all aspects of the new web platform for the website and League events and information. “Push all of the buttons and click all of the links” to learn about the League. As a new member, she enjoyed attending a new member potluck, League 101, and the letters and gestures of welcome and encouragement she received. She advises that new members explore various committees until they find one that matches their interests.
Sit in on a DEI session or attend an upcoming event to get to know Ouida Watson better. You will be glad you did!