Annette Sweeney

Annette Sweeney is a Republican serving as State Senator for Iowa Senate District 27 since 2023. Born on December 9, 1957, in Buckeye, Iowa, she grew up on a family farm and currently resides in Alden, Iowa, with her husband David and two children, Jim and Joe.

Following her father's death in 1983, Sweeney returned to the family farm to help support her mother and sister. After 40 years of operating the family farm, she and her husband passed it down to their son and his wife. She remains actively involved in agricultural operations and community life.

Education

Sweeney holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, Speech and Drama from Concordia College and a Master's degree in English and Language Arts Teacher Education from Iowa State University . She also attended Ellsworth Community College for farm operations training.

Political Experience

Sweeney served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013, where she chaired the Iowa House Agriculture Committee. She was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 2018, representing District 25, before moving to District 27 in 2023.

In the state senate, she currently chairs the Natural Resources and Environment Committee and serves as Vice Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee. She also holds memberships on the International Relations, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Technology, and Ways and Means committees.

Notably, Sweeney served as Iowa Rural Development Director for the United States Department of Agriculture and has held leadership positions with numerous agricultural organizations, including the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, and National Cattlemen's Beef Association.