from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1997. He is a founding partner of the Des Moines law firm Whitaker Hagenow GBMG. The firm specializes in criminal and civil litigation, business transactions, estate planning and non-profits. Chris is a member of the Windsor Heights Lions Club and Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale. He and his wife, Amanda, have two sons. Leadership positions: Chair, Government Oversight Committees: Appropriations, Government Oversight, Judiciary, Public Safety. E-mail: chris.hagenow@legis.state.ia.us
Representative Erik Helland – District 69 – Republican
Erik is serving his second term in the House. A resident of Johnston, he graduated from Drake University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry/ molecular biology. He received his law degree from Drake in 2009. An assistance compliance officer for West Bank, he is president of the Grimes Lions Club, and a board member of the Des Moines Young Variety organization. Leadership positions: House Republican Whip Committees: Administration and Rules, Local Government, State Government, Ways and Means E-mail: erik.helland@legis.state.ia.us.
Representative Kevin McCarthy – District 67 – Democrat
While serving as an executive officer for Attorney General Tom Miller from late 1994-1999,Kevin obtained his law degree from Drake University. He then worked as an Assistant Iowa Attorney General from 1999-2001 before accepting a position for a year in Washington D.C. as the Litigation and Compliance Counsel for the Tobacco Project at the National Association of Attorneys General, representing the settling states under the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Kevin came back to Iowa and was elected to the Iowa House in an open seat and began serving his first term in 2003. For four years he was Ranking Member of the House Public Safety Committee. During this time, he was also hired as a criminal prosecutor for the Polk County Attorney’s Office, a position he held until the fall of 2007 when he moved to private practice as a member of the firm of Wandro and Baer, P.C. In 2009,
he became a partner in the firm, now called Wandro & McCarthy, P.C. A native and current resident of Des Moines, he is serving his fifth term in the House and is currently the House Minority Leader. Leadership positions: House Minority leader E-mail: kevin.mccarthy@legis.state.ia.us
Representative Helen Miller – District 49 – Democrat
Helen is a fifth-term member of the House. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Howard University, an M.S. in Library Science from Our Lady of the Lake University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. A resident of Fort Dodge, she is the executive director of Young At Art, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that promotes economic development through the arts. She also serves on the boards of the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility Community Task Force and Young At Art, Inc. Nationally she serves as chair of the Agriculture Policy Committee, and as a board member of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, and of State Agricultural and Rural Leaders, Inc. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, and The Iowa State Bar Association. Leadership positions: Ranking Member, Agriculture Committee Committees: Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa, Natural Resources Subcommittees: Agricultural and Natural Resources Appropriations E-mail: helen.miller@legis.state.ia.us
Representative Jo Oldson – District 61 – Democrat
Jo is in her fifth term in the House. She is a former first deputy insurance commissioner and former advisor to Governor Thomas J. Vilsack. She has a B.A. and a J.D. from Drake University. Jo was president of the Young Women’s Resource Center Board of Directors, and has been active in fund raising for a number of community organizations. She has volunteered with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and at a homeless shelter. Jo and her husband, Brice Oakley, reside in Des Moines. Committees: Commerce, Judiciary, Ways and Means Subcommittees: Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appropriations E-mail: jo.oldson@legis.state.ia.us
Representative Rick Olson – District 68 – Democrat
This is Rick’s fourth term in the House. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Drake University. A resident of Des Moines, he serves on the Polk County Magistrate Appointing Commission. He is a former member of the Polk County-wide Oversight Committee. He and his wife, Brenda, have three daughters. Committees: Administrative Rules Review, Judiciary, Public Safety
attorneys clients knowledge experience
the
Iowa Lawyer February 2011 7