Accelerate Faculty

Lindsey Harness, Ph.D., has been appointed director of the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls (RCWG) and will assume the role on August 1.

Harness, an associate professor of Communication and Technology, began teaching at Alverno in 2015 and most recently served as a co-director for the Women’s and Gender Studies program.

"Lindsey is passionate about encouraging and supporting women and girls to live their authentic lives, and we are thrilled she’s taking on this role," said Joseph Foy, Ph.D., vice president for Academic Affairs. "Her dedication to women’s issues and her unwavering advocacy on behalf of them make her an ideal choice to lead the Research Center."

The Research Center for Women and Girls is devoted to applying scholarly research to the real world where it can inspire, transform and support initiatives that improve the lives of women and girls in Wisconsin and beyond. The center also partners with community agencies to foster discussion about issues and identifies emerging research topics that can make a difference in women’s lives.

"My vision for the RCWG is to continue the spirit and intention that undergirds the center's creation while expanding it to meet the needs evident today," said Harness. "The RCWG has a responsibility to be a voice that represents the binds many women and girls face as a result of the intersection of their identities, and it must participate in local, national and international conversations about what it means to be a marginalized human and what it means to be a human who has an equal opportunity for a life of authenticity, happiness and well-being."

In 2019 and 2020, the RCWG hosted the annual State of Wisconsin Girls Summit, which convenes thought leaders and inspiring voices to address issues facing girls statewide and is an opportunity for community leaders, girls, agencies that serve girls and the general public to have productive conversations.

Harness succeeds Jodi Eastberg, Ph.D., who was named dean of Professional and Graduate Studies. During her tenure as executive director of the RCWG, Eastberg oversaw the 2019 Alverno Report: The Status of Girls in Wisconsin, the most comprehensive consolidation of information about the issues facing girls in Wisconsin. She also organized the State of Wisconsin Girls Summits.

"Jodi’s contributions to the Research Center have been incredibly valuable," Foy said. "In her time as director, Jodi helped frame critical questions relevant to the lives and status of women and girls and facilitated important discourse in response to those questions in a manner that had a tremendous impact on the cultural conversation locally, nationally and internationally."

The next project led by the RCWG will be the full Wisconsin Women in Public Life — Elected Officials, due to be released in September. The report sheds light on women who hold public office and the pathways they took to achieve success.