Liz Tovar, Ph.D
Tovar bio as of 3.21.24
Dr. Liz Tovar was named Executive Officer and Associate Vice President of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division on February 1, 2021. The position reports to the president and provost and serves on the President's Cabinet.
In her role, Tovar oversees the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion while also serving as senior associate athletics director overseeing Student-Athlete Academic Services. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division comprises the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), the Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence (CIAE), and the Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives (IESI) unit.
Dr. Tovar began her career at the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas, where she also received undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in psychology, clinical psychology, and educational leadership and policy studies, respectively. Before joining Iowa in 2013, Tovar managed student services and advised student-athletes in academic, personal, and professional development at Northern Illinois University, and worked at The Ohio State University in their Student-Athlete Support Services Office. At Iowa, Tovar supervises daily operations within academic services and manages academic and personal support services for approximately 650 student-athletes across all 21 UI sports programs. Under Dr. Tovar's leadership in athletics, Iowa student-athletes continue to graduate at an all-time high of 89 percent. Dr. Tovar launched the Hawkeye Life Program, centering student-athlete growth on six pillars of excellence: leadership, community engagement, academic success, career development, health & well-being, and diversity & inclusion. Tovar was an integral member of the $6 million renovation of the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center.
Dr. Tovar serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties, Chair of the NCAA Region Five Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, Board of Trustees for KU Endowment, and is a member of the AAU Chief Diversity Officer Steering Committee.
