Jo Ann Zimmerman was a mother, a nurse, an activist, a politician, a health consultant, administrator, supervisor, educator and a rehab and home care coordinator. Throughout her life she reinvented herself to accommodate her goals. She was elected to the Waukee School Board (1976) and to the Iowa House of Representatives (1982). She was elected Lieutenant Governor – the first woman to serve in that capacity. She was the House Supervisor for Broadlawns Polk County Hospital and Nursing Educator in Obstetrics. She administered a rehabilitation home care agency. Her influence affected individuals, her city, state and our nation. We remember her as an influencer and for her extraordinary commitment to public service.

Jo Ann and her husband, Tom created a successful farm and cattle business. Tom and Jo Ann created a large close family with five children, two adopted children over twenty grandchildren and attended hundreds of ballgames each summer. Jo Ann earned a nursing diploma from Broadlawns Polk County School of Nursing and a BSN from Drake University and attended Iowa State University. She was active in her community, holding positions both in private and public sectors. She acted as campaign manager, party leader, election official, community organizer, board member, and like the Energizer Bunny she banged her drum with a smile on her face.

Jo Ann loved politics. She liked the political foray, the gatherings, the discussions, the deliberation. Ever the diplomat, she could bring opposite sides to any table. The bigger the divide the more she liked to wade into the middle to build common ground for agreement. She had what seemed like boundless energy on the campaign trail. When going to town hall meetings and driving from one place to another she loved to have a driver for debriefing. Her twenty-minute power naps while enroute were totally and amazingly rejuvenating. She was energized by a crowd. Despite this very public role, she connected with Iowans at a very personal level. Many have noted that Jo Ann changed them, made them better or helped them personally in some way.

Jo Ann was the first nurse elected to the Iowa House of Representatives and served as advisor on multiple health bills and projects from 1982 to 1986. Jo Ann was a strong and vocal advocate for improving Iowa’s health care system. She was tireless in her support for girls and women not just in health matters but also in education, workplace equality and even sports. She was a strong and vocal supporter of Planned Parenthood for meeting the health needs of Iowa’s girls and women. Hillary Clinton recognized and honored Jo Ann for her “strong advocacy on behalf of women and health care”.

Jo Ann Zimmerman was elected in general election as Iowa’s first female Lieutenant Governor. One of the responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor was to serve as President of the Iowa Senate, she was the first woman to serve in that capacity. After her election a Des Moines Register reporter asked if she could work with the Republican Governor, Terry Branstad. She famously replied that, people should ask “if he can work with me.” Jo Ann was described as soft-spoken in some ways but strong in knowing what she wanted to accomplish. In 1993 she told a Register columnist: “I was so angry at some of the things that happened in the last election that I got together with some other angry women to see what we can do about it,” Out of that grew the Women’s Caucus Group, the Democratic Activist Women’s Network and other advocacy groups.

Her groundbreaking term as Lt. Governor challenged many Iowa Statehouse traditions. It had been the practice of the male elected officials to hold discussions in the lounge area which was part of the men’s bathrooms at the Iowa Capitol – thus excluding any female participation. That is until Jo Ann began following the men into the lounge area to continue to participate in the discussions and decision making. Jo Ann inserted herself where she had helpful background and knowledge to lend to the issues – whether it was agriculture, land use, health, social services or elder affairs. Her movement into what was a “good old boys” arena was not often comfortable nor welcome but she bravely persisted and set the stage for the many women who later gained political leadership in Iowa. Evelyn Murphy a friend and Governor of Massachusetts at the time said; “What she did in Iowa was to diffuse all the biases that women couldn’t do these things,”

Jo Ann was an educator at heart and inserted political dialogs wherever she went. As president of the First Christian Church on University Avenue in Des Moines, she created discussion forums addressing political issues. She invited me to speak about my experience on the Health Reform Task Force – a large group discussion which lasted well into the evening. As President of the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center Board of Directors she worked to address problems to improve mental health in Central Iowa.

Jo Ann attended Broadlawns School of Nursing and then worked as Head Nurse, Nursing House Supervisor, Nursing Instructor in Obstetrics. This is where I first met her -when I was a student in the school. She had a huge influence on student nurses, helping us see our patients as people in crisis – that we could help. She helped me cope with a very difficult delivery when my patient was an eleven-year-old severely retarded girl. Her guidance through this experience changed my whole approach to my professional practice. Her lessons guided me throughout my career.

Jo Ann and I connected again when she attended Drake University and we had classes together. Here she influenced my interest in politics and facilitated my activism. In fact, our paths crossed dozens of times over the years as we shared health care, political activism and community commitment in common. Jo Ann focused a lot of her energies encouraging women to run for public office. She gathered nurses from all over Iowa to collaboratively create the Nurses for Harkin advocacy group. The role of this group was to be an unbiased and bipartisan health advisor for the Senator. The group gathered experts, created issue papers, researched issues and provided impact statements related to Iowa health matters. These documents are cataloged at the Library of Congress.

In all her roles Jo Ann excelled at bringing people together to advocate or deliberate for common solutions. Her ability to bring people from opposite sides to a dialog has created some of her most lasting legacies. She created bipartisan groups for deliberation or issue advocacy or candidate support. Her Iowa Women Elected Officials in support of Hillary Clinton was the first of its kind and copied in many other states. The Nurses for Harkin group inspired a dozen other similar groups for many other US Senators and Representatives. She actively championed Iowa health and agricultural issues on both sides of the isle. As administrator for Medlink Services, a rehabilitation agency and as manager of Iowa Nursing Services, Jo Ann negotiated coverages with insurance companies as advocate for patients and their families.

As part of Iowa Democratic Leadership, Jo Ann helped establish party training events for potential candidates for election. These workshops taught everything from candidate dress codes to campaign message design and stumping for votes. Jo Ann Zimmerman co-founded DAWN, the Democratic Activist Women’s Network, in 1992. helping Democratic women get elected to public office. DAWN, later Emerge Iowa worked to recruit and train the next generation of women candidates. She met many national political leaders as they campaigned during Iowa Caucuses. “Jo Ann blazed a trail for others to follow,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, said following Jo Ann’s death. “As a nurse, school board member, legislator and lieutenant governor, she led with a caring heart and with a true passion for public service.”

Born: Dec. 24, 1936, in Van Buren County

Died: October 22, 2019, in West Des Moines from Pulmonary Fibrosis

Awards: Hosted the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors, 1990

Inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003, and Women’s Forum in 2004

Achieved Master Gardener in 2004

Featured by the Des Moines Register as a “Defining Women of Iowa History, 2006

DAWN/Emerge Iowa named their highest award after her: The Jo Ann Zimmerman Activist Award, 2019

Listed in multiple versions of Marquis’s Who’s Who, Jo Ann was bestowed the Marquis Lifetime Achievement Recognition, 2017

On her death, Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds ordered flags be flown at half mast in Jo Ann’s honor.