Our Board is made up of a group of passionate individuals with diverse backgrounds. From community advocates to local professionals to university professors and graduates of the Women’s Studies Program itself, the Board welcomes a vast array of perspectives.
If you’d like to lean more about joining the board, please don’t hesitate to email us for more information. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply at any time.
2023-2024 Board of Directors:
Maria Hogle, President
Community Activist and Advocate, Center for Nonviolence; Women’s Studies Alum
Nicki Meier, Vice-President
Community Organizer & Advocate, Center for Nonviolence; Women’s Studies Alum
Mary Ann Cain, Secretary
Professor Emeritus, Purdue Fort Wayne
Gregory Smith, Treasurer
CPA, Instructor of Accounting, University of Saint Francis
Dr. Michelle Kelsey
Director of Women’s Studies (2023-Present), Purdue Fort Wayne
Dr. Janet Badia
Director of Women’s Studies (2009-2021), Purdue Fort Wayne
Ann Brake
Investigator at Fort Wayne Metro and Women’s Studies alum
Dr. Linda Fox
Director of Women’s Studies (Retired), IPFW Women’s Studies Program
Dr. Wei (Kitty) Luo
Associate Professor of Communication, Purdue University Fort Wayne
Katherine Pruitt
Former Women’s Studies Instructor; Women’s Studies Alum
Thank you to those who served on the Board in the past:
Dr. Suzanne LaVere
Director of Women’s Studies (2021-2023), Purdue Fort Wayne
Elana Merritt, Secretary
Executive Assistant, Amani Family Services; Women’s Studies Alum
Amanda Neumann
Director of Theater Operations, Fort Wayne Cinema Center; Women’s Studies Alum
Monica Young
Deputy Public Defender and Women’s Studies Alum
Judith Hollander
IPFW Adj. Faculty (Retired), VA Medical Center (Retired)
Additional past board members include: Carol Butler, Tom Butler, Jennifer Merriman, Nancy Virtue