MAPE officers received leadership and role-specific training

Over 100 new and returning MAPE local, regional and statewide officers participated in the union’s annual Officer Training on Feb. 27. Before forming breakout groups by position, members learned about the union’s structure, current political landscape at the Capitol, organizing plans and new employee orientations.    

MAPE President Angela Halseth told new officers, “When people say, ‘MAPE should do that,’ that means you. It means all of us, as you’ll see as you grow into your roles as new officers. Please take this to heart. Push back and remind members: we are MAPE, we are all MAPE. Solidarity is an action – it’s a call to action that means it takes all of us together.”  

“Empowering people to do things,” is one of the biggest lessons Local 801 President Joe Lehman said he took away from the Officer Training.  

“A big message of this training was we are officers and we are here to represent and help with union building – we can’t do it alone. To build lasting power we have to harvest from the ground up, the rank and file. We must help members because it will be a really hard contract battle coming up. I want members to feel empowered to use their voices to win a really good contract,” Lehman said. 

“I also enjoyed connecting and sharing ideas and learning from other officers was valuable,” he added.  

Local 201 Secretary Jazlyn Bradley said what she also appreciated about the leadership training was the camaraderie among leaders from locals across the state, “As a new officer in Local 201, I know there’s still so much to learn and many ways to grow. Meeting secretaries from other locals helped create a mini-cohort – a group we can lean on, learn from and grow with. That sense of shared purpose and mutual support was one of the most valuable parts of the entire training.” 

Region 10 Director Jackie Blagsvedt shared the leadership model from The Starfish and the Spider. While a spider dies when its head is cut off, a starfish can regenerate – and even grow a whole new starfish from a single limb. 

“This idea mirrors the strength of decentralized, member-driven organizations like MAPE. When one leader steps back, they carry our values forward, and their departure creates space for new voices, skills and ideas to emerge. 

“The starfish reminds us that leadership isn’t about doing everything alone. Our union’s power comes from thousands of members contributing their relationships, talents and solidarity. Strong leaders don’t just gain followers – they grow new leaders.” 

Blagsvedt closed by reminding members: “I see starfish in all of you.”