About

Stefanie Munsterman (she/her) serves as Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission.

The Commission works to eliminate discrimination and disparities and increase equity by responding to the needs of the community, investigating complaints of discrimination, and providing education to the community. Stefanie leads the strategic direction, community engagement, policy, vision, operations, and performance of the Commission.  

Stefanie puts this passion into action in her professional and volunteer roles and serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights-Iowa Advisory Board; President of the ACLU of Iowa Board of Directors; President of the League of Iowa Civil and Human Rights Agencies, Innovation Council of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, Co-Chair of Inclusive ICR, Cedar Rapids Affordable Housing Commission; Government Alliance on Racial Equity Steering Council;  Catherine McAuley Center, and board member of the Downtown Rotary. Stefanie also volunteers as a Sexual Assault Advocate for Riverview Center.

For her service to the community, Stefanie has received several awards. Most notably, she was named as a Woman of Influence from the Corridor Business Journal; Woman of the Year from the Women’s Equality Coalition of Linn County; Forty Under 40 from the Corridor Business Journal; Outstanding Service Award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois; selected for the Louise Noun Award from the ACLU of Iowa; and the Spirit of the ADA Award from the Great Plains ADA Center. 

She was a first-generation college student, and her formal education includes a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Strategic Leadership from Mount Mercy University and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Missouri Western State University.

Stefanie is passionate about equity and civil and human rights and believes it is our individual and collective responsibility to work towards creating a community of belonging.

Stefanie loves spending time with her two children (Alexandria and Jules); three dogs (Dexter the Great Dane; GusGus the Golden Retriever, and Pickles the Pug); and three cats (Wrigley, Diesel, and Jasper). Stefanie also enjoys reading, music, theater, and being outdoors.