Kelly Winfrey is interim director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program and an assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University. Winfrey's research focuses on political communication and gender. She has published co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on such topics as gender identification in young voters, the effects of gender in presidential and U.S. Senate campaigns, perceptions of candidate image by debate viewers, online self-presentation strategies of political candidates, campaign coverage of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin in 2008, and the content and effects of presidential campaign television ads. Her book "Understanding How Women Vote: Gender Identity and Political Choices" was published in the fall of 2018 by Praeger/ABC-CILO. Winfrey earned a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Kansas in May 2012, a master’s degree in communication with an emphasis on gender from Missouri State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in ethnic and gender studies from Emporia State University. Winfrey served as the coordinator of research and outreach for the Catt Center from 2014-2022.