Joni Ernst

Joni Ernst assumed office in the U.S. Senate in 2015, the first woman from Iowa elected to either house of Congress and the Senate's first female combat veteran.

Ernst was born on July 1, 1970, in Red Oak, Iowa. She earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 1992 and has a master's degree from Columbus College (now Columbus State University) in 1995.

Ernst served a combined 23 years with the United States Army Reserve and the Iowa Army National Guard, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. From 2003 to 2004, she served as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ernst served as the Montgomery County auditor from 2005 to 2011. She was elected to the Iowa state Senate for District 12 in a special election in 2011 and re-elected in 2012.

For information on Ernst's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (n.d.) Ernst, Joni (1970-). Retrieved on May 1, 2020, from https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=E000295.

Ernst, J. (n.d.) Meet Joni. Retrieved on May 1, 2020, from https://www.ernst.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/meet-joni.