Women's Caucus Board
New, outgoing board members announced by UD Women's Caucus
8:23 a.m., June 16, 2015--The University of Delaware Women’s Caucus, a group that advocates for positive change on issues of concern to women in the campus community, has announced the results of spring elections for its governing board.
The Women's Caucus is led by a board of up to 15 members, serving staggered three-year terms. Two seats were up for election this year during the April board meeting.
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Effective June 1, Margie L. Kiter Edwards and Kathryn Meier will join the board as new members; Megan Gaffney and Christine Scheirer-Mangat were re-elected to additional terms.
Edwards, an academic adviser in the University Studies program, has a long history with UD, having been a graduate student, adjunct instructor and professional staff member.
“I joined the board so I can serve as a mentor and use my experiences to help inform the discussion about improving the campus climate for women and LGBT people,” said Edwards.
Meier has been a professional staff member since 2006, and is a two-time alumna of UD currently completing her doctorate in English. As director of communications in the College of Arts and Sciences, she leads the development and execution of comprehensive internal and external communications strategies in support of the college.
“I have a passion for storytelling and strategic communications, and look forward to promoting the work of the Women’s Caucus and publicizing the resources available to the campus community,” said Meier.
Gaffney, associate librarian and coordinator in the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services division of the UD Library, was re-elected to an additional term. She has served on the board since 2012, and was elected to a two-year term as secretary in 2014. She also helped with content for the Women’s Caucus annual reports in 2013 and 2014.
Scheirer-Mangat has served on the board since 2011. A gift officer in UD’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, she held the position of staff co-chair on the caucus beginning in 2013, and will continue for a second term.
“I look forward to my second term as co-chair and I feel honored to work with an amazing group of women on the board and at UD as a whole,” said Scheirer-Mangat. “During this time of transition at the University, we will continue to look for ways to collaborate with administration and faculty on policies and procedures regarding women’s issues on campus.”
Outgoing board members
Bess Davis and Rebecca Davis have concluded their terms on the board.
Bess Davis is the program coordinator of UD’s Center for the Study of Diversity and Center for Global and Area Studies. She is leaving the Women’s Caucus board after one year of service.
As a member and then chair of the website subcommittee, she redesigned the Women’s Caucus website to make it more streamlined, accessible and mobile-friendly.
“Although I am sad to depart from the board, I will be pursuing a new path this fall at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where I will begin my Ph.D. in political science,” she said.
Rebecca Davis joined the Women’s Caucus in 2011 and served as the faculty co-chair from 2012 to 2014. She was also involved in helping to assemble the first annual report, establishing partnerships with administrators around campus, and advocating for Women’s Caucus priorities within the Diversity and Equity Commission and among the other caucuses.
“One thing I’m especially proud of is that in 2013, we successfully collaborated with the AAUP steering committee and the administration’s bargaining team to strengthen and clarify language in the faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement so it more clearly provides relief from teaching and service or a semester for the primary caregiver of a newborn or newly adopted child under age five,” said Davis, who is associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of History.
Fellow board member Helga Huntley added that Davis was also “instrumental in getting UD’s stop-the-clock policy changed into an opt-out policy from an opt-in one.”