Jennifer Parenti

Jennifer Lea Parenti is an American politician and a former member of the Colorado House of Representatives from District 19, which encompasses portions of Boulder and Weld counties, including Erie, Longmont, Firestone, Dacono, and Frederick.

Parenti was born in Denver, Colorado. Before entering politics, she had a distinguished military career, serving as a U.S. Air Force officer from 1995 to 2014 and retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During her service, she held several notable positions, including serving as a ROTC instructor at the University of Massachusetts, an Air Force international affairs specialist, and as a military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. After her retirement from the military, she worked for NATO before returning to Colorado.

Education

Parenti graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She later earned her graduate degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Political Experience

Party: Democrat

District: 19

Parenti was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in the 2022 general election, defeating incumbent Republican Dan Woog after redistricting. She assumed office in January 2023. During her tenure, she served on the Joint Technology, Transportation, Housing & Local Government committee and the Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources committee.

Her legislative priorities focused on housing, transportation, veteran issues, and civil liberties. In the 2024 Democratic primary, she won her party's nomination unopposed with 6,937 votes. However, on July 19, 2024, Parenti announced she was abandoning her re-election bid, stating she could not continue to serve while maintaining her own sense of integrity. She attributed her decision to the influence of special interests and personal agendas in the State House, and she completed the remainder of her term.