Joy Cole Corning served as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 1991-1999. As Lt. Governor, she created and led the first statewide effort in Iowa to celebrate diversity by creating a successful campaign of tolerance through community forums, team-building activities, conferences and media appearances. Corning was also active in family issues, spearheading the Family Foster Care program, which increased the number of quality foster homes and dramatically raised the number of adoptions of special-needs children. Corning chaired Iowa’s first STOP Violence Against Women Coordinating Council, and the 75th Anniversary o f Women’s Suffrage.
Prior to being elected to Lieutenant Governor for two terms, Corning was the Republican Assistant Minority Leader for the Iowa Senate from 1985 to 1990. As a state senator, she served on the education, energy and environment committees. During her service, Corning helped pass bills outlawing physical abuse in schools and extending the statute of limitations on sexual abuse.
Corning began her career in public service at the Cedar Falls Community School Board of Education, where she served as president for 9 years. A former school teacher, Corning drew from her personal experience in the classrooms to influence education policies in her community.
In 2004, Corning was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame, and is the recipient of many awards, including the Barry Goldwater Award from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Interfaith Service Award at the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and was an honoree of the National Council for Community Justice, Iowa Region.
Since leaving office, Corning has remained active on various statewide issues. She is currently serving as co-chair of Justice Not Politics, a non-partisan organization that aims to protect Iowa’s fair and impartial courts by keeping money and politics out of the judicial system.
