The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics is pleased to recognize the accomplishments and activities of its faculty, staff, students and alumni:
Dianne Bystrom, director emerita, gave a presentation on the women’s suffrage movement as part of a Zoom panel discussion for the Pepsi Service Scholars at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Sept. 24. She participated in a Zoom panel discussion and vice presidential candidate debate watch party sponsored by the University of Kansas Institute for Leadership Studies and Women’s Foundation on Oct. 7. On Nov. 3, Bystrom moderated a Zoom webinar on “Women in Politics” for the three all-girls Catholic high schools in Omaha, Nebraska, for an audience of 1,400 students and 200 faculty and staff. She gave a presentation on “A Century of Women’s Suffrage: Celebrating the 19th Amendment” on Nov. 5 for the Cass County (NE) Historical Society.
On Nov. 12, Bystrom and Mary Christine Banwart – associate professor of communication and director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at the University of Kansas and a 2000 recipient of the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics – presented “Media over Message? A Gendered Comparison of the News Coverage and TV Ads of the 2020 U.S. Senate Candidates” via Zoom at the American Behavioral Scientist 2020 U.S. Presidential Retrospective.
Beginning Nov. 17, Bystrom will participate in Humanities Nebraska’s four-part series on “Valuing the Vote” as a presenter and host via Zoom. She will present “A Century of Women’s Suffrage: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment” at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. Bystrom will also host Valuing the Vote presentations on Nebraska women’s suffrage leaders via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 and Dec. 1. Topics are “Clues to Clara Bewick Colby: The Rediscovery of Local Women’s History” on Nov. 19 and “Nebraska’s Forgotten Suffrage Leader Doris Stevens” on Dec. 1, with the topic for Dec. 3 to be determined.
Elli Grapp, the Sharon and Alice Rodine Leadership and Advocacy intern at the Catt Center in 2015-2016, accepted a contracting position with Inclusive Communities of Omaha, Nebraska, to facilitate diversity, equity and inclusion workshops for local organizations in the city’s metro area. She is excited to get more involved with her passion of teaching DEI concepts and creating space for dialogue around such important topics. Grapp continues to further this work in her full-time position as the people services manager at the YMCA of Greater Omaha, where she coordinates its Equity Task Force and facilitates education and dialogue around DEI for its staff.
Carrie Ann King Johnson, doctoral student in rhetoric and professional communication and a graduate research assistant at the Catt Center, attended the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students Legislative Action Conference on Oct. 3-4. At the virtual conference, Johnson participated in workshops on policies and issues affecting graduate students; practiced skills needed for meetings on Capitol Hill during legislative action days; and networked with policy experts, congressional staffers and other graduate students from around the country.
Catt Center director Karen Kedrowski presented “A Brief History of Women’s Suffrage, 1840-1920” via Zoom for the Constitution Day lecture at the Hoover National Historic Site and Presidential Museum on Sept. 17 and “Suffrage History and What’s ‘Not Done'” for the Nevada, Iowa, Public Library on Sept. 22. She presented virtual guest lectures at Carlton University on Sept. 17 and at Winthrop University on Oct. 27. On Oct. 7, she recorded a segment about Iowa suffragist Sue M. Wilson Brown, a 2020 recipient of the Women of Achievement Award and honoree on the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge in Des Moines. On Oct. 19, Kedrowski presented “100 Years of Women’s Suffrage” to the Iowa State University Women’s Club in Ames. On Oct. 22 she spoke about Elaine Weiss’ book “The Women’s Hour” with The Bluestockings book club in St. Paul, Minnesota. She led an online course on “Social Policy Myths and Realities” for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State University (OLLI) on Oct. 22 and 29 and Nov. 4.
Working with the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Kedrowski participated in a panel discussion on Oct. 29 for the “‘Determined to Rise:’ Women’s Historical Activism for Equal Rights” initiative from the National Women’s History Museum that will be streamed on November 19, 2020. On Nov. 10, Kedrowski gave the chapter address for the Tau of Des Moines chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa. On Nov. 11, she appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River to discuss the post-election transition. On Nov. 13, she presented on Carrie Chapman Catt at the Iowa History Museum’s “History Alive!” program.
Maggie Luttrell Roby was awarded the Cargill Animal Nutrition North America President’s Club Award. This award goes to the top 1% of employees at Cargill. Roby graduated from Iowa State with a Bachelor of Science in history and women’s studies with a certificate in community leadership and public service (now leadership studies) (2009) and a Master of Education with a certificate of social justice in higher education (2011). As an undergraduate, Maggie was a member of the Catt Associates learning community, a Catt Center intern and a Helen Jensen Howe and Jane Greimann Legacy of Heroines scholar.
Kelly Winfrey, coordinator of research and outreach for the center and assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, co-authored “Engaging in Political Talk on Facebook: Investigating the Role of Interpersonal Goals and Cognitive Engagement,” published on Sept. 29 in Communication Studies. She participated in an expert panel discussion as part of the O’Neill Conversation Series: Post Debate Forum at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs on Sept. 30. Winfrey was also interviewed on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River with Jonathan Hassid, associate professor of political science, on Oct. 7, on Iowa PBS’s Iowa Press on Oct. 16 and on WHO TV Insiders on Nov. 1. On Nov. 10, she participated in the panel discussion “So What Happens Now? Understanding the 2020 Election” hosted by the ISU Committee on Lectures and the Department of Political Science. On Nov. 12, she shared her research article “‘I’m F—ing moving to Iowa:’ Gender and candidate image in the 2020 Iowa Caucus” via Zoom at the American Behavioral Scientist Retrospective hosted by Emerson College.