Stephanie Rytilahti

Profile:

Experienced feminist leader with a demonstrated history of advancing the field of Gender and Women’s Studies across the University of Wisconsin System.  Skilled in event planning, financial oversight, operational logistics, project management, public relations, mentoring, fundraising, and institutional analysis.  An innovative and self-motivated professional fluent with the theoretical frameworks and practical applications of WGSS.

Bio:

Stephanie Rytilahti (she/her) is the director of the University of Wisconsin System Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium. As director, she facilitates collaboration in research, pedagogical initiatives, and strategic planning for thirteen gender and women’s studies programs and departments across the UW System, including the convening of an annual conference. She also directs the Gender and Women’s Studies Internship Program at UW–Madison and currently serves as co-chair of the National Women’s Studies Association’s Program and Administrative Development Committee. Rytilahti also supports the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians as the organization’s executive administrator.

Rytilahti holds a master’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies from UW–Madison and a doctorate in History, along with a certificate in Women’s Studies from Duke University. Her research interests focus on U.S. social justice movements and cross-movement solidarities, the history of gender and sexuality, the development of gender and queer studies as academic disciplines, and the contemporary forces shaping field formation in higher education. Her educational leadership focuses on creating inclusive academic communities and advancing organizational missions centered on equity-driven and interdisciplinary feminist scholarship.