Senator Joan Ballweg Contact information

Joan A. Ballweg (née Gottinger) is an American business owner and Republican politician from Green Lake County, Wisconsin. She currently serves as a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 14th Senate district since 2021. Prior to her Senate tenure, she served eight terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2005 to 2021. Additionally, Joan was the mayor of Markesan, Wisconsin, from 1991 to 1997.

Early Life and Education: Joan Ballweg was born as Joan Gottinger in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis. She graduated from Nathan Hale High School in West Allis in 1970 and later earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in 1974. She is married to Tom Ballweg, and they have four children.

Early Career: After working as a first-grade teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1974 to 1976, Joan returned to Wisconsin with her family. They settled in Sauk City before eventually moving to Markesan, where they founded the Ballweg Implement Company in December 1976. Joan’s civic engagement included serving on the Markesan city council and subsequently being elected as the mayor of Markesan in 1991. During her mayoral tenure, she successfully facilitated the merger of the city fire department with a neighboring township.

State Legislature: In 2004, Joan Ballweg entered the Republican primary for the 41st Assembly district after the incumbent state representative, Luther Olsen, decided to run for the state senate. She won the primary and went on to serve eight terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. In 2020, she was elected to the State Senate, representing the 14th district.

Joan and her husband, Tom, co-own a John Deere Farm Equipment dealership in Waupun and a yard and garden store in Beaver Dam, a business they’ve been involved in since 1976.