Education Minnesota Retired
About Us
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
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The Minnesota Education Association and the Minnesota Federation of Teachers merged in 1998. The MEA had a retired organization and so did MFT, but neither group had a very strong retired organization. Leaders from both organizations got together and worked out how to merge the retired organizations. After two years of work, a Constitution and Bylaws was passed in March of 2000, forming Education Minnesota Retired. For the first two years, there were two co-chairs of the organization. Walt Munsterman was elected as the first president of Education Minnesota Retired after the final Constitution and Bylaws were adopted at the Retired’s first Annual Meeting in 2000.
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Education Minnesota Retired is a statewide organization representing retired educators from across the state. The state has been divided into eight election districts. The Governing Board conducts the business of the organization. The Governing Board consists of officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and immediate past president), two District Directors elected from each election district, two At-Large Directors, one Director representing ESP members, and one Director representing higher education. See the attached map of the election districts.
Retired is affiliated with Education Minnesota, AFT, NEA, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO Retiree Council.
Minnesota AFL-CIO
Retired Convention
Walt Munsterman was presented with the prestigious George Colby award at the Minnesota State Retiree Council State Convention on September 13, 2026. Walt was brought forward for the award by Education Minnesota Retired as a perfect example of this award which is aimed at recognizing individuals who have contributed considerable time over a number of years in service to retirees. Walt served as our first president and in many leadership roles within our organization. He is especially known for the development of the continuous membership program and his work with pensions.
Lois Wendt Volunteer Service Award
Lois Wendt received the very first Lois Wendt Volunteer Service award at the Third Biennial Conference of the MN State Retiree Council, AFL-CIO held on September 24, 2025. The award was named for her in recognition of her extensive volunteer work for Education Minnesota Retired, MN State Retiree Council and several other organizations. This will be awarded to other individuals at future Conventions so she will be recognized for her contributions on a regular basis.
The MN State Retiree Council is an organization comprised of union retiree organizations from across the state. Education Minnesota Retired has 9 members on the state board of directors. Eleven Education Minnesota members attended this conference.
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