Jodene Emerson (born August 3, 1972) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

activist and Democratic politician. She represents the city of Eau Claire in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Early life, education, and family

Emerson was born and raised in

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

, and graduated from

Memorial High School Memorial High School may refer to: United States As ''Memorial High School'' alone *Memorial High School (Millville, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (West New York, New Jersey) *Memorial High School (St. Marys, Ohio) * Memorial High School (Tul ...

. Emerson attended

University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River (St. Croix River), Kinnic ...

for two years before starting a family. Emerson is married to

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram The ''Eau Claire Leader-Telegram'' (founded in 1881) is a newspaper published in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, by Adams Publishing Group. It is read throughout Eau Claire County and surrounding counties. As of 2013, the paper has a daily circulation ...

reporter Julian Emerson and has two adult daughters. She has been a PTA president and

Girl Scout Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

troop leader.

Career

Emerson has been an adjunct instructor on human trafficking topics at the

University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's and master's degrees. UW–Eau Claire ...

. Emerson was a legal assistant in a law office and worked as the Director of Public Policy and Community Relations for Fierce Freedom, a nonprofit advocacy organization that worked to address human trafficking. Emerson has been an anti-trafficking advocate and author of a number of successful bipartisan pieces of legislation, including Senate Bill 344, Senate Bill 396, Senate Bill 618, Assembly Bill 16, Assembly Bill 186, Assembly Bill 435, and Act 367. Emerson also developed a statewide program to train hotel workers to spot the signs of human trafficking and co-chaired the development of the statewide community response protocol on human trafficking. In 2015, Emerson was appointed to serve on Wisconsin's Anti Human Trafficking Task Force. Emerson has also been a member of the Wisconsin Anti-Trafficking Consortium and the Wisconsin Anti-Trafficking Advisory Council, serving as a frequent guest speaker and panelists at churches, schools and libraries across the midwest.

Wisconsin State Assembly

In March 2018, Emerson announced her run for District 91 of the

. The seat was held by Dana Wachs at the time, but was he was not seeking reelection due to his run for governor. Emerson was endorsed by

EMILY's List EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money ...

Fair Wisconsin Fair Wisconsin, previously called Equality Wisconsin is a 501c4 nonprofit civil rights political advocacy organization dedicated to securing equal rights under the law for Wisconsin's LGBTQ+, transgender and non-binary community. The organization ...

, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, State Senator

La Tonya Johnson La Tonya Johnson (born June 22, 1972) is an American activist and politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She serves in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the seat formerly held by Nikiya Harris Dodd, having easily defeated her opponents in ...

, State Representative

Jill Billings Jill Billings (born January 19, 1962) is a former teacher, former member of the La Crosse County board of supervisors, and Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, first elected to represent the 95th district in a 2011 special election ...

, former State Representative Kristen Dexter, and the Wisconsin Chapter of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

. Emerson currently serves on the following committees in the

: * Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care * Committee on Colleges and Universities * Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety * Committee on Family Law * Committee on International Affairs/Commerce

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election

Notes

External links

Representative Jodi Emerson - Official government websiteWisconsin Assembly Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Jodi Human trafficking in the United States 1973 births Living people Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly