Joy Corning

Joy Corning served as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Iowa from 1991 to 1999, completing two terms under Gov. Terry Branstad. Before being asked to be lieutenant governor, Corning served in the Iowa Senate, winning a seat in 1985. 

Corning was born Sept. 7, 1932, in Bridgewater, Iowa. She graduated from Bridgewater High School in 1949 and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Iowa State Teacher’s School, now the University of Northern Iowa, in 1954. 

After completing her degree, she remained in the area, teaching in both Waterloo and Greenfield, Iowa. Corning lived in the Cedar Falls area for 35 years, where she was involved in many organizations and held several positions. In 1973, she joined the Cedar Falls Community Schools Board of Education and served as board president for the last three years until 1984. She was also the director of the Iowa Housing Authority from 1981 to 1984. 

While in the Senate, Corning introduced legislation to outlaw physical punishment in schools and to extend the statute of limitations on sexual abuse. 

As lieutenant governor, Corning advocated for better foster care systems and overall rights for women. She chaired the state’s first STOP Violence Against Women Coordinating Council and oversaw many projects, including Family Foster Care, the Diversity Committee, the Adoption Initiative and the Women’s Health Initiative. 

Corning was an advocate for the community outside of public office as well. She served two six-year terms on the Planned Parenthood of the Heartland board and led the organization’s fundraising drive in 2002, surpassing its initial target. She was also an advocate for gay rights and co-wrote a letter to the editor of The Des Moines Register with Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson in support of gay marriage. The Interfaith Alliance later presented her with the Interfaith award in May of 2009. 

Corning received several honors, including the 1985 UNI Alumni Achievement Award, induction into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2004, and the 2017 Edward S. Allen Award. In 2001, she donated $1 million to the UNI Foundation’s “Students First” campaign, which then established the UNI Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Lecture Series. The series brings nationally and internationally renowned leaders in the arts, business, education, government and the judiciary to campus.

“I greatly appreciate the education I received here and am happy to have the opportunity to give back to the university,” Corning said. “I hope my gift might inspire others to think about a gift to the university.” 

Corning died in 2017, due to a liver condition. Leading up to her passing, she remained involved in many projects, including serving as an honorary co-chair of the Justice Not Politics non-partisan coalition with Sally Pederson beginning in 2010. She sat on the Des Moines Symphony’s Foundation Board of Directors and was the director of the Iowa Peace Institute and the Iowa Association of School Boards. She was also active in the League of Women Voters, PEO and the United Church of Christ.