Of note: news about center faculty, students and alumni

CATEGORIES: November 2017, Voices

Brooke Almasi, senior in public relations with a minor in American Indian studies and Catt Center public relations/events planning intern, was selected as one of two 2017 Cardinal Court Homecoming royalty. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship, provided by the ISU Alumni Association. Almasi is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and plans to attend law school after graduation from Iowa State in May 2018.

In addition to Almasi, four more of the 11 Iowa State students selected for Cardinal Court as part of Iowa State’s 2017 Homecoming celebration are affiliated with the Catt Center. They are:

  • Edan Lambert, a senior in animal science with a certificate in leadership studies. She was a part of the 2016-17 Vermeer International Leadership Program cohort. Lambert is from Orange City, Iowa.
  • Emily Ramm, a senior in elementary education with a certificate in leadership studies. She is a Rice-Neville Legacy of Heroines scholar, the Vermeer International Leadership Program intern, and traveled to Sweden in 2015 with the Catt Center’s Global Leadership Study Abroad Program. Ramm is from Onawa, Iowa.
  • Sydney Swanson, a senior in child, adult and family services with a certificate in leadership studies. She is from Pella, Iowa.
  • Jacob Zirkelbach, a senior in psychology with a certificate in leadership studies and an Andrew Goodman Foundation ambassador in 2015-2016. He is from Center Junction, Iowa.

Dianne Bystrom, Catt Center director, recently gave guest lectures in two Iowa State classes as well as presentations at Drake University and to ISU’s Emerging Leaders Academy. On Sept. 20, she gave a guest lecture on “Media Coverage of Women in American Politics” in the U.S. First Ladies class (W S/ POL S 387x) taught by Stacy Cordery, professor of history. On Nov. 2, she participated in a panel discussion at Drake University on “American Politics in Turmoil: The 2018 Midterm Elections.” On Nov. 3, she gave a guest lecture on “Michelle Obama’s Rhetorical Evolution: Speeches at the Democratic National Convention” in the Great American Speeches class (SP CM 216) taught by Ben Crosby, associate professor of English. On Nov. 10, Bystrom gave a presentation on “Gender and Leadership: Implications for the Workplace” for the 2017-2018 cohort of the university’s Emerging Leaders Academy.

Katie Friesen, Ph.D. candidate in education with an emphasis in higher education and leadership studies graduate teaching assistant, co-presented “Word to the Wise: Fostering the Development of Women’s Voice in Leadership” with Amber Manning-Ouellette, lecturer in leadership studies, on Oct. 13 at the annual International Leadership Association meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

Kendal Herrig, sophomore in pre-business, received two Office of Admissions scholarships for first-year students – a Cardinal Leadership Scholar Level I and an Academic Recognition Award Level I. Herrig is the publicity intern for the Leadership Studies Program and is from Wall Lake, Iowa.

Amber Manning-Ouellette, lecturer in leadership studies, was selected for the Emerging Scholars Research Consortium at the recent annual meeting of the International Leadership Association in Brussels, Belgium. She presented a poster titled, “Controversy with Civility: How Service-Learning Impacts Civic Attitudes in the First Year,” and participated in a panel discussion on “Leadership Education Study Abroad Programs: Transformative or Trying?” at the ILA meeting. Additionally, Manning-Ouellette – along with Lora Leigh Chrystal, director of Iowa State’s Program for Women in Science and Engineering, and Allie Parrott, WiSE program coordinator – secured a $22,080 Engineering Information Foundation grant for the WiSE Emerging Leaders Program.

Mary Kuster Shell, a Catt Associate and Legacy of Heroines scholar from 2002-2006 and an ACT learning community peer mentor in 2005-2006, launched www.RootandBloomForever.com in September. Shell – who graduated from Iowa State in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in food science – highlights the unique accomplishments of women helping other women succeed, including Catt Center director Dianne Bystrom. Her blog posts range from fun and inspirational to step-by-step, do it yourself and printables, such as healthy eating ideas, raising money-smart kids, “raise-the-bar” tips, being an entrepreneur, how to start family traditions and more. “As we go about living our lives, we all get busy with everyday details, the grassroots, the daily grind, just ordinary stuff,” Shell said. “But if we zoom out to get the bigger picture we see that, choice by choice, we’re becoming rooted – developing character, forming values and building an intricate legacy that can last beyond a lifetime.” A food scientist, entrepreneur and young mother of two, Shell saw the need to provide a conduit for other moms and grandmothers to help their families nourish and flourish while also building their own legacy. She invites you to check out the Root and Bloom Forever blog and Facebook page.

Maggie Luttrell Roby, who held the Helen Jensen Howe and Jane Greimann Legacy of Heroines scholarships while an undergraduate student at Iowa State, visited ISU on Sept. 19 to talk to students in four leadership studies class. Roby – who currently works as the U.S. freight pricing manager at Cargill in Kansas City, Missouri – spoke to students enrolled in four sections of LD ST 322, “Leadership Styles and Strategies in a Diverse Society,” taught by leadership studies lecturers Julie Snyder-Yuly and Tara Widner. Roby also met over lunch in the Joan Bice Tearoom with members of the current Legacy of Heroines scholarship program. During her visit to Iowa State, Roby represented Cargill at the College of Business Career Day. She holds two degrees from Iowa State – a Bachelor of Science in history and women’s studies (2009) and a Master of Education with a certificate of social justice in higher education (2011). In May 2009, Roby became the first Iowa State student to earn the certificate in leadership studies.

Tara Widner, lecturer in leadership studies, presented “Teaching Global Leadership: Integrating Cultural Competency and Teaching Context” and “Teaching Global Leadership: Curricular Instruction at U.S. Universities” during the annual meeting of the International Leadership Association from Oct. 12-15 in Brussels, Belgium. She also chaired a third presentation, “Leadership Development for Academic Leaders.”