Biography

Barb Grabner-Kerns was born in 1952 near Breda, in Carroll County, Iowa. Her German-Catholic parents farmed in a German-Catholic community and Barb Grabner attended Catholic schools. She graduated from St. Bernard High School in 1970 and attended Iowa State University. She received a degree in Zoology and journalism in 1974 and worked as a researcher in Omaha until 1983. She had been active with the Democratic Party while working in Omaha, and became the first field worker for the Gary Hart campaign in 1983. After the Democratic convention in 1984, she began working for PrairieFire Rural Action to organize around the 1985 Farm Bill. She became active with other PrairieFire women in organizing the Harvesting Our Potential Women’s Conferences. After PrairieFire disbanded, she married William Kerns and moved with him to Lucas County. She currently does education and outreach for a sanitation district headquartered in Knoxville, Iowa.

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