Nominations

TCSRA Nominations for 2026-2027

The following TCSRA members have been nominated for our officer positions for 2026-2027:

Gail Feagins, Co-President: Gail Feagins has been chair of TCSRA’s Member & Health Services Committee for 12 years and has written many excellent articles regarding health and consumer issues for Bits & Pieces. She also has served on WSSRA’s state Health Committee, and she has finished a three-year term as the SW-4 district representative on the WSSRA Executive Board. Born in Canada, Gail grew up in Yakima and graduated from Central Washington University. She taught in the North Thurston School District for 31 years, mainly at Chinook Middle School. Over the years she taught French, language arts, social studies, and calligraphy. Through a grant from the University of Washington, Gail spent six weeks in Egypt, along with 17 other social studies teachers from the Pacific NW. Since retirement in 1998, Gail has volunteered at the Tax Center at Fort Lewis, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, and the Thurston County Food Bank. She has made several trips with Global Volunteers, tutoring English on a short-term basis, throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. She also made a humanitarian trip to Tanzania with the Safi School project. Because of her commitment to volunteering, Gail was the 2025 recipient of WSSRA’s Stan McNaughton Award that looks outwardly as it recognizes a member whose volunteer participation in the community has helped improve the image of school retirees. Besides traveling, Gail enjoys reading and walking.

Pat Slosson, Co-President:  Currently finishing her fourth and final year as editor of Bits & Pieces, Pat has also been co-editor of the directory for several years. She is on the hospitality/luncheon committee and provided printed programs for our luncheon meetings for many years. Pat served three terms as TCSRA president, one year as our vice president/president-elect, and three years as our secretary. She has also been chair of the membership committee. As an “Army Brat,” Pat attended seven schools before graduating from high school in Dallas, Texas.  She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a BA in Education and later earned an MA from Lesley University.  After working for Phoenix newspapers, she returned to Washington and taught for North Thurston Public Schools for 30 years. Pat taught English as well as acting as Dean of Students for 12 years. Pat enjoys reading, traveling with her husband, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

RON CRAWFORD, VICE PRESIDENT: This wouldn’t be Ron’s first term as vice president. In fact, that was his first TCSRA volunteer position, which he held from 2010–2012, after joining this organization in 2007.  Since then, he has served as TCSRA president, immediate past president, chair of the retirement planning committee, and as a nominating committee member. Ron has also been the WSSRA president-elect, president, and immediate past president. For the past two years, he has been active with the WSSRA unit rejuvenation team, which travels the state to help units become more vibrant again.  Ron taught vocational agriculture at Toledo High School for eight years and served as high school principal for two. He moved to the state department of education, working as a program supervisor in Agricultural Education for 27 years. During that time, Ron was State FFA Executive Secretary and State FFA Advisor and served as a State Fair Commissioner with the department of Agriculture. He’s also done some consultative work with schools on school reform. Upon retirement from OSPI in 2000, he became licensed as a Registered Representative with Shelgren Financial Group, Inc. and Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. Ron retired in November 2009.

SECRETARY: Unfilled Position

TOM PHIMISTER, FISCAL TREASURER: A new WSSRA/TCSRA member, Tom is exceptionally qualified for this position. He spent 34 years as a vocational business instructor in the North Beach, Oakville, and Onalaska school districts. After retiring nine years ago, he spent time as a part-time financial clerk for a local Tumwater church. Tom grew up in Camas, Washington, earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University, his master’s from City University, and his administrative credentials from City University.  He is currently council president of Gull Harbor Lutheran Church in Olympia. Tom and his wife live in Tumwater and have one son who teaches at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Olympia.

ZINITA CARRELL, MEMBERSHIP TREASURER:  A TCSRA member since 2008, ZiNita, now in her thirteenth year as membership treasurer, is in charge of email notifications for luncheon reservations and legislative announcements. She was the education committee co-chair and wrote articles for Bits & Pieces for many years before retiring from that job last year.  ZiNita was born in Yakima, WA, and lived in Wapato for most of her childhood. Her father, Lorence Heikell, was principal of Wapato Intermediate School, and her mother taught in various elementary schools around the lower Yakima Valley. ZiNita graduated from East Valley High School in Moxee and later received her BA and MA from Central Washington University. She taught Title 1 and Chapter 1 reading and math for nearly all of her career in Eastern and Western Washington and retired from Tacoma Public Schools. In retirement ZiNita enjoys reading novels, watching movies, traveling, and playing board games with her grandchildren.

Mary Ann Wright, Nominating Committee: A TCSRA member since 2005, Mary Ann has been our treasurer and was the chair of our newsletter mailing committee for many years.  Mary Ann grew up in Bellingham on Chuckanut Drive, which led to her life-long love of hiking. She graduated from Western Washington University and started teaching in a 3-room schoolhouse in Bay Center, Washington, where she and her husband spent 3 years before moving to Sequim to teach at Helen Haller Elementary. Following that was a year in Flagstaff, Arizona, for graduate work. When they returned to Washington, Mary Ann taught piano lessons to both kids and adults in Elma and Montesano. The Tumwater district was where she taught for 29 years and earned an MA from Leslie University. In retirement, she enjoys reading, playing volleyball and pickleball, and spending time with family and friends.