The University of Iowa Eight Over 80 Award

Billie Townsend has been an active community servant all of her 80 years. Throughout her 25-year career at the University of Iowa, she was a catalyst for diversity. Her final role exemplified her dedication to inclusiveness as program director for the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences (the Math Alliance). 

While working in UI departments, she served on numerous committees, including the Staff Council, Staff Diversity Committee, Associated University Women, and the African American Council. She also advised the Black Student Union and Voices of Soul.

Her involvement in the Math Alliance grew in 2011, when the organization needed professional leadership. Townsend postponed retirement to lead the Math Alliance for five years, growing its reach exponentially and putting UI math programs on the map for minority students.

Following her retirement in 2017, Townsend joined the University of Iowa Retirees Association (UIRA) as a member and in leadership roles. She chaired the UIRA Program Committee and served two terms on the board. In honor of her leadership, she was named the UIRA’s 2024 Community Service Award Recipient and 2024 Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity Women Build program honoree. 

Townsend continues to volunteer in the community she loves. She serves on the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission, participates in the Black Voices Project, serves as a trustee at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Iowa City, and organizes annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations. She also served on the Iowa City Human Rights Commission and as chair of the Iowa Black Alumni Association and its scholarship committee.