Lysa Salsbury has an M.S. Ed. in Adult/Organizational Learning and Leadership as well as a Ph.D. in Education. She was director of the Women's Center for almost 20 years from 2013-2025.

The Women's Center's mission was to advocate for gender equality on a variety of issues include wage-gap, reproduction, gender-based violence and discrimination, and other critical social issues. What was once a purely volunteer managed organization is now a fully staffed establishment on campus with directors and coordinators that continually provide information, services and newsletters surrounding social issues of gender, sexuality, and equity.

The Women's Center's last location was on the ground floor of the Memorial Gym, room 109, where it provided amenities open to anyone, including lounge areas, kitchenettes, study rooms and a variety of audio and visual materials about the social justice work being done surrounding the fight for female equity.

On Dec. 18, 2024 it was announced that the University of Idaho officially closed six of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices including the Women's Center. This was a result of the December 2024 Idaho State Board of Education Board Resolution on DEI Ideology in Higher Education which stated that "institutions shall ensure that no student resource or student success center serves students based on DEI ideology." The closings were completed by the start of the Spring 2025 semester