Jen Pellant

Iowa State House District 16

2020 Race Update: Jen lost 47.09% to 52.90%

Jen Pellant graduated from Lewis Central High School and went to college at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the college newspaper, The Simpsonian, and a member of the Commission on the Status of Women at Simpson. After graduating from Simpson, she went to law school at the University of Iowa, where she and a group of other politically active 1st-year law students started a new law journal called the Journal of Gender, Race & Justice. That journal is still publishing today. Although the legal education proved valuable, a career in law was not ultimately Jen’s calling. Instead, she chose to pursue an opportunity in small business, joining a small but growing hospitality group. That opportunity led to roles in management, marketing, event planning, community outreach, fundraising, and eventually, human resources. After several years in the restaurant business, she moved on to a role as the Director of Human Resources for a small steel fabrication company, learning the business of manufacturing and heavy construction as well. 

After the 2016 election, politics became central to Jen’s life, and eventually she was motivated to make a career change. She came home to Southwest Iowa to be close to her family and to organize for a presidential primary campaign. However, as she knocked on thousands of doors for the caucuses, she repeatedly heard her own family’s worries and concerns about state policies reflected in the conversations she had with other Iowans. After much reflection and encouragement from new and old friends, she decided the best way to serve her community would be to help flip the Iowa House and return some balance to Des Moines.