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, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 4,040. Geography Monticello is located at (42.238759, -91.189067). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total ar ...

. 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 land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

1987, an MBA from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994, and a Juris Doctor 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. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States by the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Sch ...

in 2003.

Career

Paulsen served

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, 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: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service 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 The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

Maintenance Junior Officer Manager of the Year, and the Missile Wing Instructor of the Year. Christie DSC0156 (24373650989)

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 U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. 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 American politicians