Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-1)

Mariannette Miller-Meeks is a Republican U.S. Representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district, serving since 2021 after redistricting . Notable achievements include her 24-year military career retiring as a lieutenant colonel, pioneering roles in ophthalmology, and leadership as the first woman president of the Iowa Medical Society; she currently chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health.

Biography

Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks was born on September 6, 1955, in Herlong, California, as the fourth of eight children to a Master Sergeant father in the U.S. Air Force and a mother without a high school education; both worked multiple jobs to support the family. Severely burned in a 10th-grade kitchen fire, she was inspired by a physical therapist to pursue medicine. She enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18, serving 24 years on active duty and reserves as a private, nurse, and physician , retiring honorably as a lieutenant colonel. She owned an ophthalmology practice in Ottumwa, Iowa, until 2008, organized physician recruitment for southeast Iowa, and volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate for children. Miller-Meeks has two grown children, Jonathon and Taylor.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Earned a B.S. in nursing from Texas Christian University , M.S. in education from the University of Southern California , and M.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio ; completed ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa.
• Political Experience: Appointed Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health under Governor Terry Branstad; elected to Iowa State Senate District 41 ; elected to U.S. House in 2020 for Iowa's 2nd District , serving on Energy and Commerce and Veterans’ Affairs . She supports AMA priorities like Medicare reform and provider protection acts.