Meet Janet Petersen
Janet Petersen is serving her third term in the Iowa Senate. She has served six terms in the Iowa House of Representatives. She represents
Senate District 18, which includes Beaverdale, Merle Hay, downtown, and the Ingersoll, Waterbury, Southern Hills, and South of Grand neighborhoods of Des Moines. Janet was the first woman elected to serve as Iowa Senate Democratic Leader.
Janet is a passionate advocate for children and families. As a young girl, she saw first-hand how life can change in an instant when her dad died of melanoma. Fortunately for Janet and her sister Barb, their mom had an education to fall back on, which prevented them from slipping into poverty. That is one of the reasons Janet is a supporter of public education and equal pay for equal work.
Janet’s impact extends far beyond the Legislature. She co-founded the nonprofit organization Healthy Birth Day, Inc., which has gained global recognition for its Count the Kicks campaign. This initiative, aimed at educating parents-to-be on tracking their babies’ movements to reduce the risk of stillbirth, has reached parents in all 50 states and 150 countries, saving countless lives.
