Virginia Olsen Molgaard 2010 - Iowa State University Alumni Association

Virginia Olsen Molgaard 2010

Virginia K. Olsen Molgaard

MS Family Environment ’81
PhD Family Environment ’85  
Ames, Iowa

Emeritus Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies Virginia Molgaard has brought distinction to Iowa State University and honor to her family through her work in the fields of family services and substance abuse prevention, most notably the internationally-acclaimed Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 she developed and implemented as an ISU Extension family life educator.

It was in 1973, when Molgaard’s brother and sister-in-law were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, that Molgaard was first inspired to dedicate her career to the related issues of reducing substance abuse and helping families cope with tragedy. She began her career with ISU Extension during the rural crisis of the 1980s, when she was instrumental in developing curricula to help families and communities deal with economic crisis. From there, she began engaging in research with the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research and the Partnership for Prevention Science Institute and, in 1992, developed the Strengthening Families Program.

As a result of the program’s life-changing impact, Molgaard has been honored by the National Council on Family Relationships, Theory, and Research; the World Health Organization; the U.S. Department of Education; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and many others.

A 1961 graduate of St. Olaf College, Molgaard received an honorary doctorate degree from Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England, in 2010. She and her husband, Leland, have three children who are all Iowa State graduates. She maintains a lifelong passion for music and has held several musical roles with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames.

Molgaard is an ISU Alumni Association annual member.

 

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