State Senator Herman Quirmbach is currently serving his second term in the Iowa Senate. He represents Senate District 23, consisting of Ames, Gilbert, Luther, Madrid, Napier, and part of Sheldahl.

Senator Quirmbach is chair of the Local Government Committee and serves on the Education, Human Resources, Judiciary, and Ways & Means committees. He is also a member of the Education Budget Subcommittee.

In addition to his legislative work, Senator Quirmbach serves on the College Student Aid Commission, the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission and the Local Government Innovation Commission.

Quirmbach served on Ames City Council from 1995 through 2003 and as Ames' Mayor Pro Tem in 2002. He is involved in the Ames Kiwanis Club, Ames Patriotic Council, Ames League of Women Voters, Ames Chamber of Commerce, Story County Democratic Party, Iowa Civil Liberties Union, and Story County Tobacco Task Force. He also been on the Story County REAP Committee, the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, the Ames Utility Retirement Board, and the Ames Veterans Memorial Committee.

Quirmbach received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Harvard University in 1972, as well as a Masters (1980) and Ph. D (1983) in Economics from Princeton University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at Iowa State University.