By Fatima Salinas
Departmental Administrator, Lindsay Vella, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), is entering a new chapter in her University of Iowa career.
For more than a decade, Vella has helped shape the daily operations and long-term stability of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) at the University of Iowa. Through departmental mergers, leadership transitions and periods of institutional change, Vella has played a key role in ensuring academic units remain supported and positioned for long-term success.
Through her 10 years at Iowa, Vella has served as the administrative leader for seven departments and units: African American Studies; American Studies; Classics; the Division of Interdisciplinary Programs; Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies; the Magid Center for Writing; and Religious Studies. As of December 2025, she will be adding the Department of Cinematic Arts to that list.
“Every department has its own rhythm and personality,” Vella said. “Working across so many units has given me a broader understanding of what departments need to function well.”
Vella first came to the University of Iowa in 2011 as an MFA student in the Writers’ Workshop, studying poetry. After graduating in 2013, she began her career in the university’s Main Library, working in its administration office.
In 2015, she transitioned into departmental administration within CLAS, starting in Classics and African American Studies. Over the following years, Vella gradually took on additional departments as the college navigated staffing changes and evolving organizational needs.
By 2023, she had become a trusted administrative resource across CLAS, known for helping departments manage leadership transitions, implement new processes, and maintain continuity during periods of uncertainty.
“Change can be hard for everyone involved,” she said. “But seeing a department move forward and find stability again is incredibly rewarding.”
One of Vella’s most significant contributions has been her ability to connect departments that might otherwise operate independently. Drawing on her experience across multiple units, she has helped translate successful practices from one department to another, creating more consistent and effective processes.
“Departments can be very siloed,” she said. “When you have worked in several areas, you can say, ‘This process works well over here. Let’s try it in this unit.’ That is something I really enjoy.”
Rebecca Tritten, senior director of administration for CLAS, said Vella’s work has had a meaningful impact across many units.
“Working with Lindsay is an absolute privilege,” Tritten said. “She has such a strong command of administrative policies that people naturally turn to her when they need guidance.”
Tritten said Vella’s professionalism, calm communication style, and steady problem-solving have made her someone departments can count on, and that her approachable and supportive personality makes her a standout colleague across CLAS.
As she steps into her new role in Cinematic Arts, Vella said she is excited to return to a more focused administrative model in a creative and student-centered department. The unit, which includes film studies, screenwriting, and media production, continues to grow and draw new students each year.
“Cinematic Arts brings together the arts, the humanities, and storytelling,” she said. “It feels like such a natural fit.”
Vella is especially looking forward to working with the department’s active student organizations and learning more about the projects, films, and events that students are creating.
“There is so much energy in the department,” she said. “It is exciting to join a community where students are so passionate about their work.”
Her administrative work has always been closely tied to creativity. At the Magid Center for Writing, she supported the development of innovative writing courses and worked alongside faculty who shared her interest in storytelling.
“Creative writing has shaped almost everything I do,” Vella said. “Even in administrative work, creativity is essential, whether you are problem solving, planning or building connections.”
Looking ahead, Vella hopes to continue strengthening departmental structures, supporting faculty vision and contributing to a community grounded in creativity and collaboration.
“This transition brings together everything I care about: supporting people, building strong departments and being part of a creative environment,” she said. “I am excited for what is ahead.”
