The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics is pleased to recognize the accomplishments and activities of its faculty, staff, students and alumni:
Monic Behnken, associate professor of sociology; Tia Carter, senior in kinesiology and health; and Alyssa Stoehr, lecturer of sociology, were awarded 2019 Women of Achievement awards by the YCWA of Ames at ISU during their awards ceremony on March 7. A total of 10 women from Story County were recognized. These awards are given to women who have worked toward the empowerment of women, elimination of racism and the promotion of freedom and dignity for all. Behnken and Stoehr were recognized for their work in the Iowa State sociology department, and Carter was recognized for her work as a student leader at Iowa State. Both Behnken and Carter have been honored on the Women Impacting ISU calendar, which is coordinated by the Catt Center. Stoehr worked for the Catt Center as a graduate assistant/communications specialist in 2009 and as a graduate assistant in 2014.
Crystal Brandenburgh, the center’s Archives of Women’s Political Communication intern, will be presenting her paper, “Carrie Chapman Catt: A Politician of Her Time,” at the 2019 Conference of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship at Monmouth College April 12-13 and at the Midwestern History Conference May 30-31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Brandenburgh was also one of three students recognized as a Student of Distinction during the March 5 Office of Student Financial Aid awards ceremony. The Catt Center staff nominated her for this award. Brandenburgh is from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Dianne Bystrom, director emerita of the Catt Center, presented “Winning the Vote: The 72-Year Campaign for Woman’s Suffrage” at the Feb. 25 “Dine and Discuss” hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha. She also delivered the keynote address at the International Women’s Day celebration on March 9 at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Bystrom has been selected for the Humanities Nebraska speaker’s bureau to give presentations on “Winning the Vote: The Campaign for Woman’s Suffrage in the United States.” In January, she visited Texas Woman’s University to provide strategic planning advice to the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy as the principal in Dianne Bystrom Consulting LLC.
Vivian Cook, a senior studying performing arts, will be the production intern for Ten Thousand Things’ production of “The Sins of Sor Juana” by Karen Zacarías. The production will be touring Minnesota in May with free performances at locations such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, low-income senior centers, reservations, after-school programs, women’s shelters and community centers (as well as at Open Book, for public performances). Ten Thousand Things is an organization that brings theater to those with little access to it. Cook is the James R. and Lauri K. Young Legacy of Heroines scholar and is from Prescott, Arizona.
Luis Gonzalez-Diaz, a Carrie Chapman Catt Legacy of Heroines scholar, presented at the Thomas L. Hill Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity on March 1 in the Memorial Union. He co-presented “From Fields to Cells: A Discussion on how the U.S. Prison System is Today’s Slavery” and “Erasure of Students of Color from the Archives at Iowa State University.” Gonzalez-Diaz is a junior in political science and sociology and attended the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in May 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a McNair scholar, student success leader for the Bridging Opportunities in Leadership and Diversity Learning Community in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and is one of two research assistants for the University Archives where he researches the LGBT+ community at Iowa State. He hopes to one day obtain a Ph.D. in sociology and teach at a university where he can work on research.
Daniela Dimitrova, professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, was announced as one of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s 2019 Senior Scholars for her work titled “Terrorists, Migrants or Asylum Seekers? Understanding the Media Framing of Refugees.” Her research focuses on the Syrian refugee crisis and how the refugees were portrayed in the media. Dimitrova is honored on the 2018 Women Impacting ISU calendar and regularly serves on the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research selection committee.
Adam Foley, who served on the Leadership Studies Program Advisory board from 2008-2015, was recently appointed as the director of diversity and inclusion in the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Delaware. He provides education and outreach on issues of diversity and inclusion to members of the university faculty and staff and compliance and oversight of Title IX and affirmative action efforts on campus. Foley also assists with investigations pertaining to the university’s non-discrimination policy, works on curriculum development and outreach, and looks for new and innovative ways to engage the university community in difficult dialogues. He is responsible for the university’s kNOw MORE Sexual Misconduct Awareness campaign. As an adjunct faculty member in the departments of Women and Gender Studies and Human Development and Family Studies, Foley teaches courses on sexuality, gender and feminist discourse. He earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction in 2013 from Iowa State University.
Karen M. Kedrowski, Catt Center director, moderated a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County on Iowa’s Stand Your Ground Law at the Ames Public Library on Feb. 7. In celebration of International Women’s Day, Kedrowski presented “Women’s Status in the Workplace – And What to do About it” March 7 at Cargill in Eddyville, Iowa, and moderated the International Women’s Day panel at the Ames Public Library on Friday, March 8.
Teresa Thompson Maly, who was an intern at the Catt Center in 2010-11, was a featured speaker at EPIC 13: Influencers Inspiring KC Young Professionals in Kansas City on March 27. A 2011 graduate of Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in political science, she is manager of marketing operations at Intouch Solutions and owner of Teresa Maly Creative.
Kelly Winfrey, assistant professor of journalism and the research and outreach coordinator for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, was a panelist for the Junior League of Des Moines about women in Iowa politics on March 4. On March 8, Winfrey was on the International Women’s Day panel at the Ames Public Library with Behnken. Winfrey also presented “Women in Iowa Politics: Successes and Opportunities” at 50-50 in 2020’s See Yourself Here event in Des Moines at the Iowa Capitol Building on March 12. Looking ahead, Winfrey will discuss her book “Understanding How Women Vote: Gender Identity and Political Choices” March 21 on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River noon program.
Cody Woodruff, a senior in political science and a Rice-Neville Legacy of Heroines scholar, is running for president of Iowa State University’s Student Government. Woodruff and his running mate, Analese Hauber, have adopted the slogan “I Stand for U,” and are putting an emphasis on unifying the community, understanding identities, unlimited opportunities and unconditional support. The Student Government election for the 2019-20 academic year will be held March 12 and 13. Woodruff is from Carlisle, Iowa, and serves on the Carlisle School Board.