Judge Bergan was appointed to serve Johnson County as a magistrate in 1988. She was appointed to serve as a District Court Judge in 2007. She earned her bachelor's degree from Luther College in 1973 and her law degree from the University of Iowa in 1977. Judge Bergan served as Johnson County Magistrate for 18 years while in private practice in Iowa City for 25 years. She also served as a substitute hospitalization referee. Prior to private practice, she worked for Legal Services Corporation as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow and later co-managing attorney of the Iowa City Legal Aid office. In 2005 she received the Iowa Judicial Branch annual Meritorious Award for Part-time Judicial Officers. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, and the Johnson County Bar Association. She is a master member of the Dean Mason Ladd American Inn of Court and a fellow in the Iowa State Bar Foundation. She served on the board of governors of the Iowa State Bar Association and on the board of directors of the Iowa Association of Magistrate Judges. She held the office of president of the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys. She served as vice-chair of the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.
Judge Bergan was appointed as senior judge in December of 2017.