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:
Claire Andreasen, University Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, retired from the university on Jan. 3. Andreasen supports the Claire B. Andreasen Legacy of Heroines Scholarship through the Catt Center.
Madeline Becker, a fall 2024 graduate in economics (M.S and B.S.) and political science (B.S.), presented her honors research project at the Fall 2024 Honors Program Poster Presentation at the Memorial Union on Dec. 11. Becker also served as the LAS Fall 2024 student marshal for Iowa State’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Dec. 21 in Hilton Coliseum. Becker was a graduate research assistant at the Catt Center for the Fall 2024 semester.
Dianne Bystrom, director emerita, has been awarded a contract by Bloomsbury to publish a co-edited book on the 2024 presidential election along with Ben Warner, University of Missouri; Mitchell McKinney, University of Akron; and Mary Christine Banwart, University of Kansas. Banwart received a Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics from the Catt Center in 2000.
The book – “Democracy on the Line: The Turbulent 2024 Presidential Election” – will report on the most significant features of the 2024 presidential campaign, including the presidential and vice presidential debates; campaign advertising; national and local media coverage; the replacement of Joe Biden with Kamala Harris on the Democratic Party presidential ticket; the rhetoric of nationalist versus progressive populism; mis- and dis-information; appeals to religious, women, Latino and Black voters; gender expectations; and many other crucial moments that defined the 2024 election.
The book will include a chapter by Kelly Winfrey, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Iowa State, on “From Playboys to Cat Ladies: Masculinity and Gender in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Kimberly Graham, alumna of the Ready to Run program, was elected Polk County Attorney in 2022 and just completed her second year in office as the top prosecutor in Iowa’s largest county. She is the first woman to hold the office.
Rachel Junck, a 2023 alumna in chemical engineering (B.S.) and business administration (M.B.A), received the AREA YP 4 Under 40 award by the Ames Regional Economic Alliance. Junck will be honored at an event on Jan. 9, 2025, at the Iowa State Memorial Union. Junck was a 2020-2022 Rice-Neville Legacy of Heroines scholar, a 2021 Women Impacting ISU calendar honoree, and a speaker at 2023 Ready to Run Iowa.
Karen M. Kedrowski, center director, provided comments on several questions related to the outcome of the Nov. 5 general election for Tim Kenyon (Iowa Farmer Today) on Nov. 19. Also on Nov. 19, Kedrowski was interviewed by Mingwei Qin, a master’s student at Columbia School of Journalism, about repatriation of Native American artifacts. On Dec. 16, Kedrowski was interviewed by Amanda Rooker (KCCI) about women governors and lieutenant governors. On Dec. 29, Kedrowski and Kelly Winfrey appeared on an episode of Iowa Press to discuss research from the 2024 election. Kedrowski also presented a recent book chapter, “The Symbolic Politics of the Police and Military: Threat and Reassurance in Uniform” on Jan. 10 at the Southern Political Science Association meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jensin McMickle, a sophomore in political science, was selected as a member of the newest cohort for the Start Something LAS Academy, a two-year program through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that provides students with opportunities to explore innovation and entrepreneurship. McMickle is a 2024-2025 a Political Science Alumni Legacy of Heroines scholar.
Natalia V. Rios Martinez has accepted a position as a legislative correspondent for U.S. Rep. Herb Conway of New Jersey. Rios Martinez, a 2023 graduate in political science, international studies and public relations, was a 2021-2023 Kedrowski and Fitzgerald Family Legacy of Heroines scholar and 2023 Women Impacting ISU calendar honoree.
Ashleigh O’Brien has accepted a position as a campaigns intern for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee for the spring semester. In this role, she will assist with projects and campaigns such as bill tracking, electoral updates, and research and analysis; engage with voters and volunteers; and help coordinate key events. O’Brien, a 2023 alumna in women’s and gender studies, was a Catt Center intern and a participant in the center’s multi-year undergraduate research project.
Kelly B. Shaw, teaching professor of political science, appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s River to River on Nov. 13 to discuss President-elect Trump visit to the White House, his cabinet picks and other political news.