Senator Izaah Knox Contact information

Izaah JB Knox, born on January 9, 1977, is an American politician currently serving as the senator for the 17th District of the Iowa Senate. He was born in Iowa City, Iowa and spent his childhood between Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Seattle, Washington.

Knox completed his high school education at Cedar Rapids Washington High School. He then pursued higher education at Drake University, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing. After working as a life coach and with the Urban Dreams nonprofit organization in Des Moines, Knox returned to Drake, earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership and policy studies.

He then worked for Des Moines Area Community College, and subsequently pursued doctoral study at Iowa State University, eventually returning to Urban Dreams as executive director. Knox took over the organization from founder Wayne Ford.

Knox began his campaign for the Iowa Senate in January 2022. He defeated Grace Van Cleave in a June 2022 Democratic Party primary, then won the general election for District 17 against Libertarian Party candidate ToyA Johnson and political independent Alejandro Murguia-Ortiz. Knox is of African-American descent. During the 2022 legislative election cycle, Knox was endorsed by Thomas Mann Jr., Iowa’s first Black state senator who left office in 1989, Knox is the second Black senator.

In his personal life, Knox is married and has three children. He continues to serve his community and the state of Iowa with dedication and commitment.