MTSU professor to deliver 2026 Equali-Tea keynote address

Middle Tennessee State University professor  Dr. Ariana Postlethwait will deliver the 2026 Equali-Tea keynote, organizers announced.

Postlethwait is a Professor in the Department of Social Work at MTSU, where her research focuses on substance-affected families, improving child welfare outcomes, and the effectiveness of child protective services. She is also active in addressing homelessness in th

e Rutherford County community through her volunteer work with Murfreesboro Cold Patrol.

She will share her story when she delivers the keynote address at the 2026 Equali-Tea, which will be held 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9 at The Fountains, 1500 Medical Center Pkwy.

The (hats optional) High Tea raises scholarship funds for MTSU college women students. Each scholarship will provide $1,000 for the academic year.

The Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship supports women 24 years and older who are returning to finish their undergraduate degree. Applicants must demonstrate academic promise and financial need. 

In 2015, the group marked its 100th anniversary by creating a second scholarship, named for long-time AAUW members Mattie Butler and Leola Fouts. The Butler-Fouts Memorial Graduate Scholarship is presented to female graduate students from underrepresented ethnic or racial groups. Applicants must demonstrate academic promise and financial need as well as be enrolled in a graduate program at MTSU.

The Equali-Tea raises scholarship and programming funds for the Middle Tennessee Fund for Women and Girls, a nonprofit organization in support of the mission of AAUW Murfreesboro: to level the playing field for women and girls in education and in the workforce.

Reservations are required and offered at no cost and can be made at Equali-TEA.org. Attendees will be invited to make a contribution to the Fund at the event. Your sponsorship of the event and your donation are both tax-deductible.

For more information about the Equali-TEA, send us an email at contact@equali-tea.org.

About AAUW Murfreesboro

Organized in 1913, AAUW Murfreesboro is a membership organization of college-educated individuals from all walks of life who share a common purpose—to level the playing field for women and girls in education and in the workplace.

Our branch does this through advocacy, education, and research. We are part of a national and state network that supports our work right here in Murfreesboro. Our national organization (200,000 members strong) is a powerful voice on women's issues in Washington, D.C. Our Tennessee organization unifies our presence throughout the state, bringing together all nine branches in Memphis, Nashville, Murfreesboro, McMinnville, Martin, Knoxville, Maryville, and Oak Ridge.