Chiquita D. Loveless

Chiquita Loveless (she/her) is formerly from Chicago, IL. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Georgia Gwinnett College and a Master’s in Business Administration from St. Leo University. Chiquita currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Students for family and military engagement for the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to assuming her current role, Chiquita served as Director for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. She also served as Associate Director for Military and Veteran Student Services on campus. 

She served 23 years in the U.S. Navy retiring as a Communication Officer/Chief Warrant Officer 2. Her  tours of duty included Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, served on two aircraft carriers and  an amphibious assault ship, and numerous overseas deployments to include Operation Iraqi Freedom.  She served as the Equal Opportunity Officer and Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for several tours  Reporting directly to her Commanding Officers. Upon retiring, Chiquita was a former Director  for VETCONNEXX, an all-veteran call center located in Atlanta, GA, prior to joining the University of Iowa  staff in 2018.

Chiquita is the recipient of the 2021 Cedar Valley MercyOne Heroes Among Us “Military” award, and 2022 UNI 7 legacy award.  She is married to Yolando Loveless, a 30-year retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4, who currently serves as the Executive Director for Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs.