Jeanne Dietsch (born April 16, 1952) is an American former politician and businesswoman who served as a Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 9th district from 2018 to 2020.
In addition to her legislative career, Dietsch has engaged in work related to robotics and intelligent automation, technology policy, journalism, and public discussions on technology and society.
Dietsch was born in Kenton, Ohio, and grew up in Marion, Ohio.
Before entering politics, she worked in the private sector and later became involved in a local sub-committee in Peterborough, NH. In 1995, she co-founded ActivMedia Robotics with her husband, which was later renamed MobileRobots Inc. She served as chief executive officer until its acquisition by Adept Technology in 2010.
Before founding ActivMedia Robotics, Dietsch worked in technology and internet market research through ActivMedia Research, which published early analyses of e-commerce, including WhoâÂÂs Succeeding on the Internet and How. She has written as a columnist to IEEE Robotics and Automation and has spoken at industry and academic conferences on robotics, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies.
Dietsch unsuccessfully ran for State Senate in New Hampshire in 2016, losing in the primary to Lee Nyquist.
In 2018, Dietsch won 54% of votes in the Democratic primary. She later won the general election against Republican Dan Hynes, 14,037 to 12,776. Dietsch served as Vice Chair of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee and Chair of the Commission on the Environmental and Health Impacts of Perfluorinated Chemicals.