Nancy Boettger
Nancy Boettger was first elected in 1994 and is currently serving her fifth and final term in the Iowa Senate. In her 18 years of service she has served on 15 committees, including Education, Human Resources, and the International Relations committee. She has served as both an assistant majority leader and as an assistant minority leader.
Her leadership role as chair of the International Relations committee has lent her expertise to international organizations such as serving as a director for the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, which serves many purposes including recognition of the outstanding achievements of the many organizations active in citizen diplomacy, development of resources which will enable the establishment of best practices in citizen diplomacy and the recruitment of persons to serve as U.S. citizen ambassadors to the world.
When she is not serving her constituents in Des Moines, Senator Boettger is very active in her hometown and communities near Harlan. She is a member of P.E.O., National Foundation for Women Legislators and Harlan First Baptist Church, and has served on the boards of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, American Baptist Homes of the Midwest Board of Directors, Harlan Community Library Board, ISU Extension Dean's Advisory Board, Shelby County Foundation for Education, Southwest Iowa Health Educators, Iowa Society for Health Education and Training, Farm Bureau, Pork Producers, People Who Care, Harlan Review Club, Iowa Council of International Understanding, and Iowa Sister States/Taiwan ROC. She currently sits on the Midwest Higher Education Commission, Education Commission of the States, and the Iowa Prayer Breakfast Committee.
Senator Boettger graduated from Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois before receiving a B.S. in sociology from Iowa State University in 1965 and B.A. in education from Buena Vista College in 1982. With this background she has worked as a special education teacher, middle school teacher, and Director of Education and Resource Development for Myrtue Memorial Hospital. She and her husband Dave have four children and 12 grandchildren, and operate a farm in Harlan.