Thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s board member election to fill six positions: President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and three directors-at-large.

The membership has elected Lois Cox (President-Elect), Todd Stewart (Treasurer), Cathy Wilcox (Secretary), and Directors-at-Large Jean Florman, Cindy Seyfer, and Rachel Stewart. Except for Florman, who will serve the remaining two years of Lois Cox’s term as a director-at-large, the other newly elected board members will serve three-year terms ending in July 2027. President-Elect Lois Cox will serve as President in the second year of her term and as Past President in the third year of her term.

Lois Cox retired from the College of Law in 2019 as clinical professor. Her clinical work focused on representation of domestic violence survivors. She also served as dean of students for the college, and two terms as University Ombudsperson. In her retirement, Lois continues to be active in the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), serving as chair of the chapter’s Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. She also serves on the board of directors of Riverside Theatre and is an enthusiastic student of Senior College.

After 16 years at the UI Center for Teaching, Jean Florman retired as director in 2021. Prior to that she taught various forms of creative nonfiction at the UI and served as an assistant director of the UI College of Law Writing Center. In 2014 she was nominated by faculty members for the Outstanding Staff Award. For most of her career, Jean was a freelance writer and a producer for Iowa Public Radio, where she created, wrote, and recorded special series about Iowa history and culture. The “capstone” to a career of fun and challenging writing projects was the collaboration to produce Hancher, a coffee-table book about the construction of Iowa's magnificent new performing arts center. Jean is an avid grandmother, gardener, hiker, and traveler, and last year she served on the board of the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity Women Build project in honor of former teacher and legislator Mary Mascher. Recently she has discovered the magic of glassblowing.

Cindy Seyfer retired in September 2022 from the Office of Student Financial Aid. She started in the office in 1982 as a graduate assistant and after holding a variety of positions in the office, she retired as the assistant provost and director. Cindy deeply enjoyed her work advocating for access and affordability in higher education and partnering on a number of student success initiatives. She was honored to receive the Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy (2013), the Improving our Workplace Award (IOWA) (2014), and the Department of Athletics Difference Maker award (2018). Cindy and her husband, Jim, have been caring full time for their granddaughter who turns 2 in late May and will transition to daycare in June, leaving Cindy to enjoy a second retirement and time to be more active in UIRA. She and Jim are also looking forward to being able to travel more.

Rachel Stewart retired in May 2024 after 26 years as a UI employee. After stints at the UI Alumni Association and the Office of Student Financial  Aid, she spent 23 years working as a web developer for the Tippie College of Business. Rachel enjoys attending live theatre and movies (shout out to FilmScene!), traveling whenever possible, and collecting vintage purses. Her husband, Duncan, works at the UI as a cataloger and instructor at the UI Main Library. 

Todd Stewart retired as the chief audit executive for the Board of Regents in 2018. Previously he was an administrator in Preventive Medicine and director of Accounting Services at the University of Iowa. Todd is an avid photographer and enjoys shooting local high school sporting events, the University of Iowa women’s basketball team, as well as of the many travels Todd and his wife, Jan, take annually. In his spare time, Todd and Jan have also participated in many bike rides including RAGBRAI, biking other states and in Europe last year. Todd stays active serving on the board and as treasurer of the Iowa City Housing Fellowship, providing affordable housing to families in need of housing in Iowa City.

Cathy Wilcox retired in July 2022 from the Office of Student Financial Aid after working 46 years in the same office. Throughout the years, she held many different positions and retired as a senior associate director of scholarships. After retiring in mid-summer, she and her husband, Joel, who had retired from the University seven years ago, spent a lot of time driving to places around the Iowa City area to hike and to view prairie flowers and fall colors. This spring, they have been to various places to look for wildflowers in woodland areas. As the weather warms up, she is looking forward to spending lots of time working on her perennial flower beds and planting annuals. They have other things they plan to do in retirement but for now since the growing season is upon them, she enjoys spending time outdoors.