UofU LGBT Resource Center names new director

Clare Lemke, the assistant director of the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success at Iowa State University, has been named the new director of the University of Utah LGBT Resource Center.

Lemke is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native, who received a bachelor’s degree in English and women’s studies at the University of Iowa before joining the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success in 2015. During her time there her main focuses were on transgender inclusion and gender equity.

“Clare is extremely talented,” Brad Freihoefer, director of the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, told the Iowa State Daily. “I think she has brought our team to a new level when it comes to not only executing programs with excellence from beginning to end but doing so by working on a deep level with students.”

Lemke will take over as director of the UofU LGBT Resource Center early next month, replacing Kai Medina-Martinez (and the interim director Gabriella “Bri” Blanchard).

Medina-Martinez, a licensed clinical social worker, became the LGBT Resource Center’s director in June of 2007. During their tenure they received the Pete Suazo Community Service Award in 2010; secured the Alliance House as the first gender-neutral student housing on campus; launched the first LGBT Alumni Association, a network of UofU graduates and those who attended the university to help guide new students. Their staff were pivotal in getting the UofU ranked as the second most LGBT-inclusive school in 2018.

With big shoes to fill, Lemke’s determination for further transgender inclusion and gender equity may just be a great fit.

Photo: Clare Lemke and Brad Freihoefer