An active student on campus, Petersen won the Outstanding Student Leadership Award and was highly engaged in campus activities. After graduating, Petersen moved to Washington, DC, to work on Capitol Hill, and spent the next 25 years working in the electoral and policy-making arena as a leader to help elect progressive candidates and advance progressive policies.
Petersen’s political career includes services as deputy chief of staff and state advisor to Sen. Tina Smith, campaign manager of the Tina Smith for Minnesota campaign, deputy chief of staff and state director for Sen. Al Franken, director of field operations for Rep. Jim Oberstar, and as a staffer for Rep. David Minge. Her nonprofit experience includes having served as the executive director of Target Market, an organization that promoted anti-tobacco messages to Minnesota high school students, and as a national consultant with Grassroots Solutions on grassroots advocacy, organizing, field consulting, training, and targeting to engage, organize and mobilize people to both vote and advocate for issues such as health care and labor.
One nominator noted that “she often prefers to stay behind the scenes and let others be recognized. That said, she gets to see the satisfaction of important legislation getting passed and implemented that will change people’s lives for the better because of her work.”
Former Congressman David Minge wrote of his former staffer: “I know that not just I, myself, but also the broader state and national communities have come to recognize the U of MN Morris because of what Alana does and has done. Her leadership in vital non-profit organizations, U.S. Senate offices, other U.S. Congressional offices and campaigns, represents public service in the best sense. In this era of ultra (and divisive) partisanship, capable, decent political leaders and public servants are critical for the continuation of our democratic form of government. Alana is part of the vital crusade for decency in public life. The U of MN Morris can be proud of what Alana has contributed to this American tradition.”
Petersen served on the UMM Alumni Board, where she advocated for LGBTQIA+ students and helped establish the David Minge Internship Award, which supports students seeking Washington, DC internships and educational opportunities. She also provided very personal support for one of her teammates from Rep. Minge’s office, a fellow Morris alum, who decided to run for state office. She noted that “Alana was right there next to me, every step of the way, during her spare time. Thanks, in part, to her mentoring, I have had a lifetime dedicated to public service myself, helping to make our communities a better place, and the ripple effect of her impact continues. Her hair may be red, but she has a heart of gold and I am a better person for having known her.”
