Joan Ballweg

Joan Ballweg represents the 41st District of the Wisconsin State Legislature. She was first elected to the Assembly in 2004 and served as majority caucus chair in 2011 and 2013. Representative Ballweg is the 2020 national chair of The Council of State Governments and previously served as chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference. She is a former member of the FEMA Regional Advisory Council and served on the city council of Markesan, Wisconsin, before being elected as the city’s mayor, a position that she held from 1991 to 1997. She initiated a bipartisan Wisconsin Legislative Children’s Caucus focused on informing legislative colleagues about and building support for evidence-informed investments in children and families; she is also a member of the Wisconsin Child Abuse Neglect and Prevention Board. She spearheaded the Red Tape Review, a comprehensive look at Wisconsin’s administrative rules and initiatives relating to strengthening families and early childhood education. A native of Milwaukee, Representative Ballweg has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and taught first grade for many years. She is the co-owner of a farm equipment business in Markesan.