Joshua Andrew Penner (born August 4, 1982) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

member of

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

for

District 31 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

. Penner took office on January 15, 2025.

Early life and education

Penner was raised in Bonney Lake, Washington. He graduated from Sumner High School,

Saint Martin's University Saint Martin's University is a private Benedictine university in Lacey, Washington. It was founded in 1895 as an all-boys boarding school by monks of the Benedictine Order. Saint Martin's began offering college-level courses in 1900 and became ...

(BA), and

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Ar ...

(ALM).

Career

Penner has been the mayor of

Orting, Washington Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,041 at the 2020 census. History The first recorded claims for land in Orting were made in 1854 by William Henry Whitesell, Thomas Headley, Daniel Lane, and ...

, since 2018. He is a small business owner. He is the CEO of Inquisic.AI. He is a

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

veteran, having served as a radio operator in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. In November 2025, Penner was elected to the

for the 31st District. He received 61.08% of the vote. He serves on the board of directors for the Association of Washington Cities.

Personal life

Penner married his high school sweetheart, Patricia (Tricia), in August 2005. She is a teacher for the Bethel School District.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penner, Josh Living people Saint Martin's University alumni Harvard Extension School alumni 21st-century mayors of places in Washington (state) People from Orting, Washington Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives United States Marines 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature 1982 births