The University of Idaho Argonaut

Heather Shea Gasser found the job that is just the fit for her.
Gasser began last week as interim director for the University of Idaho Women’s Center, which has been director-less for the past two months.
“It has been hard not having leadership,” said Lysa Salsbury, the Women’s Center program coordinator. “The staff feels a big sense of relief because we have someone.”

The three-person staff collaborated together during the absence of the director to run the center, Salsbury said.
“Definitely all the staff is pleased we have a voice at the table again,” Salsbury said.
Gasser said it is important for her to provide a voice for students.
“It is my obligation as someone who is working on a college campus to address the needs of those who don’t have a voice,” Gasser said. “It is important to have administrators passionate about the needs of students.”
Gasser said she is excited to be part of a “strong office” in a position that pertains to her interests.
“This position is kind of a perfect mix of my personal philosophies and personal goals,” Gasser said. “The center has a history of strong advocacy.”
She has worked in student affairs for eight years.

Gasser moved from Tucson, Ariz., to Moscow with her 3-year-old Eli, 6-month-old Dylan and her husband, Ray Gasser. The family moved because Ray Gasser was selected as the new director of University Residences. He began in the middle of January.
In her new community, Gasser searched for work and heard of the opening at the Women’s Center. It was a position adhering to her skills and interest.
“It is the perfect combination of working for equality issues and student affairs,” Gasser said.
There is much Gasser is looking forward to in her five-month position.
The programs at the center are well established, Gasser said.
“It is doing a lot of great things,” Gasser said. “The Women’s Center has an important place on this campus.”
Gasser looks forward to meeting students and interacting with other professionals, she said.
“I’m excited to be able to shape what happens for the rest of the semester, providing leadership and stability,” Gasser said.
She said she would like to see the office reach out more to non-traditional students.

Gasser also hopes to be able to use technology more effectively to reach students, such as outreach through Facebook or podcasting, she said.
Salsbury said Gasser brings a huge amount of experience to the center.
“She is well versed in the things we do,” Salsbury said. “I’m excited to have her on board.”
Throughout her time at the University of Arizona, Gasser worked in a variety of areas involving inequality issues. In commuter student affairs she served as a campus advocate for off-campus and non-traditional students. In the Commission on the Status of Women, she was the chair of professional development. Gasser worked with underrepresented groups and first generation, low-income students of color in Multicultural Affairs.
Gasser also worked in a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender office when she was a graduate student.

“I realized it is sometimes difficult for students to put themselves out there,” Gasser said.
Gasser went to undergraduate and graduate school at Colorado State University, where she double majored in graphic design and marketing with a minor in art history. In graduate school she studied student affairs in higher education.
Gasser was chosen by the search committee for the position. The position became vacant when Jeannie Harvey, past director of the Women’s Center, accepted the interim director position at the International Programs Office.
Gasser’s position will extend through the summer. The full-time director of the Women’s Center position will re-open if Harvey becomes the director at the IPO for the fall.