ISU Town Hall with Deidre DeJear, Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate
- Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
- Political Science
2022 ISU Lectures Campaign Town Hall Series
Deidre is a small business owner and entrepreneur, who founded her firm almost 15 years ago to directly support the work of small businesses. Over the course of her career, Deidre has worked with over 1,000 businesses on developing growth strategy, marketing plans, and business planning. Deidre’s career began with helping companies after the Great Recession and has continued through the current Pandemic.Originally from Mississippi, and then Oklahoma, Deidre came to Iowa to attend Drake University and never left the state she fell in love with and now calls home. While still a student, Deidre co-founded the nonprofit Back to School Iowa to support youth to continue in their educational endeavors. She also served as a competitive coach for the East High girls basketball team, and was with the team during their 2011 undefeated state championship run. As a voting rights champion and community leader, Deidre previously ran for Secretary of State of Iowa in 2018, when she became the first Black woman to earn the Democratic nomination in a statewide race in Iowa. Deidre is now the Democratic nominee for Iowa Governor.