Janet Petersen

Senator Janet Petersen represents Iowans from the northwest portion of Des Moines.  She is serving her first term in the Iowa Senate after serving six terms in the Iowa House of Representatives.  During her first term in the Iowa Senate, Janet chaired the Government Oversight Committee and Senate Commerce Committee.  She serves on the Judiciary, Natural Resources, State Government, Ways & Means, and Transportation & Infrastructure committees.  Janet is also Vice Chair of the Council of State Governments, Midwest Region, which covers eleven Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces.

Janet has a B.A. from UNI and M.A. from Drake University in communications. Before joining the legislature, Janet worked for the American Heart Association and Strategic America, a marketing and communications firm. In 2008, Janet founded a nonprofit organization with four other central Iowa women called Healthy Birth Day. The organization, best known for its public health campaign Count the Kicks, is devoted to reducing the number of stillbirths in Iowa and nationwide through research, education and advocacy.

Janet is married to Brian Pattinson, who works for Principal Global Investors, and together they have three children.