Kraig Paulsen (born September 9, 1964) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

from 2003 to 2017 and as speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.

Early life and education

Paulsen was born in

Monticello, Iowa Monticello is a city in Jones County, Iowa, Jones County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city population was 4,040. Geography Monticello is located at (42.238759, -91.189067). According to the United ...

. His father, Dr. Kenneth Paulsen, is a veterinarian. His mother, Marilyn Felker, is a retired hospital transcription manager. Paulsen has one brother and two sisters. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

1987, an MBA from

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs based in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, United States. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in ...

in 1994, and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. History The law school was founded in 1865 by George Grover Wright and Chester C. Cole as an independent la ...

in 2003.

Career

Paulsen served

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, where he served as an operations group senior weapons instructor, maintenance flight commander, and squadron director of operations. Paulsen was awarded the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the USAF Commendation Medal, and the USAF Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. He was twice recognized as the Best Operations Crew in the USAF in his assigned weapon system,

Air Force Space Command An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

Maintenance Junior Officer Manager of the Year, and the Missile Wing Instructor of the Year. Paulsen was first elected to the Iowa House in 2002 and serves House District 67, which includes: Hiawatha, Robins and portions of both Marion and Cedar Rapids. He served as speaker of the House from 2011 to 2015. Paulsen was an attorney for CRST International, Inc. in Cedar Rapids. In August 2015, Paulsen announced that he would step down as speaker of the House in January 2016 and would not seek re-election to the Iowa House in 2016. Paulsen then took an unadvertised position with Iowa State University in January 2016; leading a new supply chain initiative aimed at improving corporate engagement in research, experiential learning for students, and educational outreach for faculty and staff. The job Paulsen accepted was not advertised, as is required in most cases. In 2019, Paulsen was appointed director of the

Iowa Department of Revenue Iowa ( ) is a state in the upper Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Misso ...

. In September 2021, he was appointed interim director of the Iowa Department of Management. Later, it was announced that Paulsen would continue in the role permanently and remain in the position as revenue director.

Personal life

Paulsen married his high school sweetheart, Cathy, in Cedar Rapids in 1985. They have four children, a daughter and three sons. The Paulsen family is members of the New Covenant Bible Church in Cedar Rapids.

References

External links

Representative Kraig Paulsen
''official Iowa General Assembly site'' *
Profile
at ''Iowa House Republicans''
Kraig Paulsen State Representative
''official constituency site'' * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Paulsen, Kraig 1964 births Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Iowa State University alumni Living people People from Hiawatha, Iowa People from Monticello, Iowa Speakers of the Iowa House of Representatives University of Iowa College of Law alumni 21st-century members of the Iowa General Assembly