The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics welcomed two new staff members in October. Kristine Keil is the new, full-time public relations/student programs coordinator and Susan Cloud joined the team as the three-quarter-time communications specialist II.
“We are so happy to have more staff on board at the Catt Center,” said Dianne Bystrom, director. “Kristine and Susan will be great assets to our team. Both bring knowledge and experiences that not only support existing programs, but also allow us to expand initiatives with their expertise in design, social media, and website and database management.”
As the public relations/student programs coordinator, Keil handles the center’s events and activities, supervises student interns, writes for and edits the Voices bimonthly newsletter and other publications, manages its university website, leads the Legacy of Heroines scholarship program and coordinates the Women Impacting ISU calendar.
Previously, Keil was the director of communications and organizational programming at the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission. While there, she served on the United Way of Story County’s Hunger Collaboration Board, directed marketing efforts for the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market, offered support for the Ames Blue Zones Project and served on the City of Ames “Brag Team.”
“I’m very excited to start my adventure at the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics,” Keil said. “It’s great to be back on campus, and I look forward to working with students and jumping right in.”
Keil earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication with a minor in sociology from Iowa State University in the fall of 2009. Hailing from a family farm in Thompson, IA, she enjoys photography and cheering on the Cyclones.
Cloud will manage the Catt Tracks, Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics, and Women in Iowa Politics databases; the Plaza of Heroines program and website; and the Archives of Women’s Political Communication website. In the new position, Cloud also will write copy for the center’s websites, databases and other publications as well as assist with the delivery of events.
“I’m excited about being part of the team at the Carrie Chapman Catt Center and helping to continue the development of its database and website resources,” Cloud said.
Previous to joining the Catt Center, Cloud was the courseware services manager at the Ames-based Phasient Learning Technologies. On the side, she does contract technical writing and editing. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA, and a Master of Science in botany and Master of Arts in English from Iowa State University.