Doris Kelley

Doris Kelley is well-known in the Cedar Valley and throughout Iowa. Her professional and personal contributions have included a wide array of businesses, organizations, industries and representing the State of Iowa on the Board of Parole as well as serving in the House of Representatives.

She was nominated for the Catt Award by Leadership of the Board of League of Women Voters of Iowa because of the huge undertaking she accepted in creating and leading the "Hard Won..Not Done" initiative. This initiative under Doris' guidance brought together organizations from across the state to commemorate in 2020 the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gave American women the right to vote; sharing this anniversary was the anniversary of suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt's founding of the league of Women Voters. Never before in the state's history has any group taken on such an organizational challenge, one that would result in a year of unmatched education, entertainment and appreciation for women's achievements, as well as what yet needs to be accomplished for women to achieve true equality in our society. Under the direction of LWVIA board member Doris Kelley, multiple nonpartisan organizations, educational institutions and businesses created a truly unique tribute to those women who came before. To achieve many of these events, Doris did an phenomenal job of raising money for the many events and educational projects. Her efforts were truly historical in their impact even if COVID canceled many of the projects. No person in the state has done so much to unify so many organizations around one goal, and for that goal to be the recognition of women was truly remarkable.