About Roger Thomas

Roger Thomas and his wife, Rosemary live on the family farm west of Elkader. They have two sons: Rob and his wife, Rachel, and their sons, Noah and Luke and their daughter, Josie, of Story City; Ryan and his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Audrey of Minnesota; and one daughter, Rachelle, recent Iowa State graduate, of Ames. Roger attended school in Strawberry Point and Elkader schools and graduated from Valley Community School, Elgin in 1969. He entered the United States Air Force in 1969, during the Vietnam Era conflict. After serving honorably for over 6 years, he and his family returned to Iowa, to raise a their children and started a business in Wadena. In 1980, Roger and his family joined his parents, Art & Gladys Thomas, to operate the family livestock farm near Elkader, where they now reside. Along with farming, Roger enjoyed his employment as a transit driver for Northeast Iowa Community Action, a coordinator for RISE Development Center and a youth advisor for JTPA. Before serving in the legislature, he worked for the Central Community School District as a mechanic/bus driver for over 9 years. In 1996, Roger returned to college completing his degree graduating with honors from Upper Iowa University in Fayette with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. In recent years, Roger was a Project Director for Country Heritage Community and now works part time for Iowa Workforce Development as a business representative. Roger continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the communities in his district. In the years, he has served with many volunteer organizations. Some of those were American Legion Commander, fire chief and fireman of a local department, elected Trustee for Northeast Iowa Community College, elected board member for the Clayton County Extension Council, 4-H leader for over 5 years, President of Northeast Iowa Emergency Medical Council, chairman of local American Red Cross, and advisory board member of the National Ag Safety Center in Peosta. Roger Currently serves as the Northeast Iowa Community College's Foundation Board; along with other organizations including: The Backbone Lake Friends, Clayton County REAP Committee, the Clay-Gar American Legion and over 26 years as a paramedic with the Central Ambulance Service. Roger is serving his fourth term in the Iowa House of Representatives. He currently serves on the Appropriations, Agriculture, Government Oversight, Veterans' Affairs - along with being ranking member of the Economic Growth Committee. House District 24 includes the counties of Clayton, Delaware and Fayette. In his service, Roger works endlessly to help the citizens of the district to resolve their problems. He is a tireless advocate for rural Iowa - always promoting educational excellence in Iowa's schools and working to improve economic development opportunities.