The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics is pleased to recognize the accomplishments and activities of its faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters:
Dianne Bystrom, director emerita, was interviewed by two newspapers prior to the 2024 Iowa Caucus about Nikki Haley, a contender for the Republican Party nomination for president. She was interviewed for a story published in the Des Moines Register on Dec. 18, 2023, on “Few Republican women make it to Caucus Day. As Nikki Haley closes in, gendered attacks rise.” Bystrom was interviewed for a story published in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 4, 2024, on “Anti-Trump Republicans say Nikki Haley is their ‘only hope.’ But is her surge coming too late?”
Four students affiliated with the Catt Center have accepted invitations to join Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States: Alexandra Crowson, a senior in public relations and the Sharon and Alice Rodine Leadership and Advocacy intern at the Catt Center; Stacia Drey, a junior majoring in political science and journalism & mass communication and the recipient of the Political Science Alumni Legacy of Heroines Scholarship; Julia Litecky, a senior majoring in political science and journalism & mass communication and the recipient of the Haselhoff Family Legacy of Heroines Scholarship; and Clare Vilmont, a senior in public relations and political science, who served as a public relations/event planning intern at the Catt Center for the 2022-2023 academic year and in the fall of 2023 and is a recipient of the Phyllis Davis Legacy of Heroines Scholarship.
Stacia Drey has been named a finalist for the 2024 Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States. The scholarship is awarded to college juniors who demonstrate outstanding potential for and who plan to pursue a career in public service.
Carrie Ann Johnson, research and outreach coordinator for the center, appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River on Jan. 22 to discuss plans to repeal the Iowa law that requires gender balance on state, county and municipal boards and commissions. She also published an essay, “Trust Women?“, in Bonds Magazine on Feb. 19. Johnson began a post-doctoral position with the Women’s and Gender Studies program in March.
Karen M. Kedrowski, center director, gave the following interviews and media appearances:
- Jan. 9: April Rubin, Axios reporter, about the Iowa Caucuses
- Jan. 10: Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, University of Virginia, about the Iowa Caucuses for the “Politics is Everywhere” podcast
- Jan. 10: Steve Karnowski, Associated Press Minnesota state capitol reporter, about the all-women St. Paul City Council
- Jan. 10: Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY Congress and campaigns reporter, text message interview to provide commentary on GOP debate
- Jan. 10: Camil Straschnoy, Télam (national news agency of Argentina), email interview about the Iowa Caucuses
- Jan. 12: Patrick Marley, Washington Post, about the difficulties of participating in caucuses compared to traditional primaries
- Jan. 15: Commentary during a C-SPAN2 evening broadcast of the Republican caucus in Boone, Iowa
- Jan. 17: Appearance on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River to discuss the history of the Equal Rights Amendment
- Jan. 29: Jason Clayworth, Axios Des Moines, about threats to Iowa’s gender balance legislation
- Feb. 14: Appearance on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River to discuss the week’s political headlines
- Feb. 22: Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, about sexist and demeaning memes used against Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley by supporters of former Pres. Donald Trump
- Feb. 27: Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press, about Iowa’s gender balance requirement for boards and commissions, in light of its likely upcoming repeal
- March 6: Nickoel Hytrek, Iowa Starting Line, about the impact of freely available birth control on women’s lives
- March 7: KDSN Radio, regarding the Catt Center’s history and activities, as part of their Women’s History Month coverage
Kedrowski also gave these presentations and workshops:
- Jan. 10: Spoke with Texas State University faculty about working with the national news media in preparation for hosting a presidential debate in September
- Jan 10-Feb 7: Led an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) course, “By Accident, Not by Design: Electing the U.S. President,” through the ISU Alumni Association
- Jan. 12: Led a Social Science PI Impact on Research for Grad School and VPR Research Administration boot camp
- Jan. 15: Participated in a caucus roundtable on gender and campaigns
- Jan. 22: Presented on Roberts Rules of Order to the Ames School Board
- Jan. 25: Moderated a conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill for the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture
- Feb. 23: Participated in a panel about the graduate student experience for the Graduate and Professional Student Conference, sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Senate
Kelly Winfrey, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, was awarded the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities Grant for Iowa State’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program. The WGS program will use the $100,000 grant to bring in speakers that highlight the importance of WGS across a variety of professional and academic fields, enhance their student research conference, support student research, support faculty development, and collaborate with colleagues in WGS across Iowa.