Biography
Teresa J. Ibach, born Teresa Heusman on December 7, 1961, in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a Republican member of the Nebraska State Senate representing District 44. She was elected to the Legislature on November 8, 2022, and assumed office on January 4, 2023. Raised in rural Dawson County, she currently resides near her original family farm in Sumner, Nebraska. Teresa and her husband, Greg Ibach, whom she met during their time at Sumner-Eddyville-Miller High School, married in June 1988. They have three children, triplets born in 1991, all of whom pursued careers in agriculture after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Before her legislative career, Teresa retired in 2015 from a profession in marketing and administration to support her family's farming and ranching operations. During this period, her husband served as Nebraska's Director of Agriculture and later as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Teresa managed the farm's finances while commuting between Nebraska and Washington, D.C., for nearly four years.
Teresa has been actively involved in various organizations, serving on the boards of the NEBRASKAland Foundation, the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, the Nebraska FFA Foundation, and as a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation. She has also volunteered as a teacher for Junior Achievement and is a member of the United Church of Sumner.
Education
- Sumner-Eddyville-Miller High School, 1980
- Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and Family Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1984
Political Experience
- Elected to the Nebraska State Senate representing District 44 in 2022; term began January 4, 2023
- Vice Chair of the Agriculture Committee
- Vice Chair of the Business and Labor Committee
- Vice Chair of the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee
- Member of the Judiciary Committee
- Member of the Rules Committee
- Member of the Building Maintenance Committee
- Member of the Legislature's Planning Committee
In her legislative role, Teresa has focused on issues pertinent to rural Nebraska, including agriculture, natural resources, property tax relief, education, and rural healthcare. She introduced the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable practices to protect natural resources. Additionally, she sponsored legislation to modify the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act to address concerns related to Delta-8 THC products.
