Misty Rebik utilized her urban planning skills to advance her career in Iowa and that knowledge and experience has led to her current position as Chief of Staff for Senator Bernie Sanders, which she began in early 2021. Over the years, Misty has become a top aid and senior advisor to Senator Sanders on a range of issues from foreign policy to labor. During her tenure as Chief of Staff, Misty has worked on the passage of the historic $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and has been at Sen. Sanders’ side as he chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to address major health and economic inequities in America. Prior to joining the Senate office, Misty held several leadership roles on Senator Sanders’ 2020 campaign, including Iowa State Director and National Organizing Director. 

As a student in urban and regional planning (URP), Misty ran focus groups on workforce development for the City of Cedar Rapids, which resulted in a series of policy recommendations for the City. Additionally, she studied under Professor Jerry Anthony and accompanied him on a trip to India where she learned immensely from community-led, government initiatives on issues of workforce and housing. Misty says, “My experience at the URP program prepared me to translate my core community organizing skills into public policy making. I became equipped with the knowledge, terminology, and skills to craft creative public policy solutions to some of today’s toughest challenges around economic security and freedom for working class people. I loved my time in the program and grew tremendously from the support of my mentor, Professor Anthony, and all the professors whose courses I took.” 

Misty’s roots lie in community and worker organizing. She co-founded Iowa’s Center for Worker Justice and organized workers for the better part of a decade in the State of Iowa. She became a community organizer and learned from the best organizers in the country at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI). Misty was born in Grinnell, Iowa, and was raised in rural Iowa, outside of Gilman. Misty holds a BA in International Studies and an MS in Urban & Regional Planning, both from The University of Iowa.