Charlotte Bowers Nelson papers

Charlotte Bowers Nelson (June 28, 1931 — July 9, 2023) was born in Bristol, Virginia, and grew up in Bristol, Tennessee, the daughter of Dr. Thaddeus R. Bowers and Ruth Moore Bowers. Her husband was Dr. Gustav C. Nelson (May 19, 1927 — December 10, 2011).

In 1948, Nelson was diagnosed with tuberculosis during a routine screening at her high school. Her father contacted Dr. Frank B. Stafford at the Blue Ridge Sanatorium, persuading him to allow her to be treated at home. After a year of bed rest, she returned to school briefly but suffered a relapse after graduation, requiring another year of treatment. She later attended King College part-time before pursuing sociology at Duke University, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in Religion from Columbia University and a Master of Public Administration from Drake University.

Following her studies, Nelson directed teen programs at the YWCA in her hometown and taught religion and sociology at Beaver College in Pennsylvania. She held leadership roles in the League of Women Voters in Iowa, as well as in Beloit, Wisconsin, and she initiated the first women's studies course at Drake University.

After obtaining her MPA, Nelson interned for the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa and worked for the Iowa Department of Human Services. In 1985, she became the Executive Director of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, a position she held for 22 years under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Throughout her tenure, Nelson advocated tirelessly for women's rights, promoting pay equity, gender balance on state boards, and supporting legislation on equity, family planning, and combating domestic violence and sexual assault. Even after retiring, she remained active on boards including Iowa Friends of Legal Services, Iowa CareGivers, Westminster House, and the National Association of Commissions on the Status of Women.

In 1994, Charlotte Bowers Nelson was chosen as one of three "Visionary Women" by the Young Women's Resource Center in Des Moines. She is included in Who’s Who of American Women.