A former advisory member of Iowa State’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences has been named to the Dean Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair for the 1996-97 academic year.

James Autry, a former president of the magazine group at Meredith Corporation in Des Moines, was appointed as the chair to focus on leadership for change.

Beverly Crabtree, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said Autry’s experience as a national commentator of leadership will help the college in many ways.

“As a college, we identified a focus to be leadership for change,” she said. “We had rapid changes in our society and challenges for higher education. Those in higher education are there to increase the agility and flexibility of the program.”

Autry is a nationally known author and poet who has had books published on his observations on the changing corporate workplace and collections of his poetry. He also has spoken on leadership for change around the world.

“Jim has a national commentator about leadership for change,” Crabtree said. “As a scholar, he can help guild us through the process for carrying leadership for change.”

Autry served as the first chair of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Board in 1980-81.

“He has always had a strong interest in our college,” Crabtree said.

She said many graduates at the time of Autry’s tenure were recruited by the Meredith Corporation.

The Hilton chair was established after former dean of the College of Home Economics (now the Family and Consumer Sciences) Helen LeBaron Hilton, who served from 1952 to 1975, contributed more than $1.3 million from her estate. As a result, it is the first and the largest endowed chair at ISU.

Allison Engel, a journalist who worked with outreach for the college, served as the college’s first endowed chair.

Crabtree said the college has been very pleased with her.

“We’ve been very pleased with Allison Engel. It’s gone very well,” she said. “She has challenged everyone in their breath and scope of our programs.”

Crabtree said she expects the success of the endowed chairs will continue.

“Allison has organized it in such a way that this momentum will continue. We have a tremendously exciting and a nationally recognized college,” she said. “It will be an exciting year next year. We’re just thrilled about Jim Autry.”