The Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success has announced the name of the person filling the role of assistant director.

After a week of four different candidate interviews in early December, Cheltzie Miller-Bailey, former events and technology manager for the Lectures Program at Iowa State, will be stepping into the role of assistant director for the Center.

“Cheltzie is amazing,” said Brad Freihoefer, director of the Center for LGBQTIA+ Student Success. “She is extremely talented and has a lot of great experience and has really been present in LGBTQIA+ centers at the University of Northern Iowa, has done really campus-wide related events at the University of North Texas and most recently has been in the Lectures Program here at Iowa State and so a really great breadth of experience and talent and just a wonderful person. I am really looking forward to students connecting with Cheltzie.”

Freihoefer said Miller-Bailey fits into the role because of her ability to connect to students and being detail-oriented.

Miller-Bailey graduated with a master of arts in post-secondary education in student affairs in May 2017 at the University of Northern Iowa after completing her undergraduate years there as well.

During her time at the University of Northern Iowa, Miller-Bailey had a variety of different positions in and out of LGBTQIA+ work before graduating. One of these positions included working in the LGBTQIA+ center on that campus as a Gender and Sexuality Services intern.

From there, she went on to work as the coordinator of campus-wide events for the Student Activities Center at the University of North Texas until the summer of 2019 when she moved to Iowa State. While at the University of North Texas, the majority of her time was focused on making homecoming at the university more inclusive.

In July of 2019, she became the events and technology manager for the Lectures Program at Iowa State. While in this position, she coordinated event logistics for more than 100 events and assisted in the selection of speakers.

Freihoefer said it has been almost a year since Clare Lemke, former assistant director of the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, left Iowa State for a position at a different college, which left the role of assistant director empty. They said with Miller-Bailey now in the role, it will be the third or fourth time in the Center’s history that the Center will be fully staffed.

“The assistant director position is a position that really assists the director in a variety of ways,” Freihoefer said. “It has focal points in things like individual student support, so consultations, referrals and connecting students with resources. The position will really serve as a pillar coordinator for a lot of our community development and some of our leadership development programs as well.”

Some of the responsibilities of the role include assisting with development, implementation, management and assessment of sexuality and gender programs including the Speakers Bureau Program, Thrive Leadership Program and the Center Squad. Some of which, like the Speakers Bureau Program, have been put on hold this last semester with Freihoefer being the sole staff member.

This position will also allow Iowa State students greater access to the Center’s staff due to there being more than one staff member in the space.

“Having the assistant director role filled will provide students increased access to staff, which we have definitely heard students are looking for,” Freihofer said. “ It will also allow us to move forward with some programs and initiatives, and that is really exciting.”

Miller-Bailey will begin her time in the Center on Monday, just as the spring semester is beginning. Freihoefer said a welcome event will be hosted, but the details are still in the works.

“To allow students to meet Cheltzie, we will do an official welcome where it will kind of be an event and social moment here in the Center, and we will be sharing information this week,” Freihoefer said.