Janet Petersen

District 18

Meet Janet Petersen

Senator Janet Petersen is serving her first term in the Iowa Senate after having served as a state representative in the Iowa House for 12 years. Senator Petersen is the Senate Democratic Leader. She is the Chairwoman of the Government Oversight Committee and Vice Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee.  She also serves on the Appropriations, Ways & Means, State Government and Judiciary Committees.

Janet was born in Beaverdale and has lived in Senate District 18 most of her life (other than a brief trip to Northern Iowa for college).  She graduated from UNI with a degree in Communications and earned a master’s degree in Integrated Communications from Drake University.

Before joining the legislature, Janet worked on the ’92 Clinton/Gore Campaign, for the American Heart Association and for Strategic America, a marketing communications firm.

Janet is married to Brian Pattinson, who grew up in Ames, and together they have three children.