State Representative Sara Gelser

Assistant Majority Leader Sara Gelser began representing the people of Philomath and Corvallis in the Oregon House in 2005. The youngest woman in the Oregon Legislature, she is the Chair of the House Education Committee and also serves on the Revenue Committee and the Rules Committee. Recently, President Barack Obama appointed Sara to the National Council on Disability. The nomination was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the US Senate.

Sara was a founding member of the Senior and Disability Caucus, and also serves as a member of the Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance and the Higher Education Caucus. In previous sessions, she served as Vice Chair of the House Human Services and Women’s Wellness Committee and was a member of the Health Care Committee.

Sara’s legislative accomplishments include strengthening Oregon’s rape statute, the creation of a charitable pharmacy program, the establishment of statewide standards for modified and extended diplomas, strengthening protections for seniors and people with disabilities who are victims of abuse and neglect, strong anti-tobacco initiatives, and reducing barriers for access to medical and support services for children with disabilities. In 2007, Sara spearheaded Karly’s Law which improves child abuse investigations across the state.

Sara served on the Corvallis School Board from 2001 until 2006. She is past president of The Arc of Benton County, and was named Corvallis Junior First Citizen by the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce in 2004. She is an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Corvallis.

Before serving in the Legislature, Sara was the Children with Disabilities and Family Support Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Human Services. She also worked as an instructor at Linn-Benton Community College and as a regional coordinator for the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center, where she provided training to parents, educators and administrators about the special education law and practice. Gelser is the founder of the FG Syndrome Family Alliance, a non-profit organization serving families and medical professionals around the world touched by this unusual syndrome.

Sara earned her BA in history and education from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and an MAIS degree from Oregon State University.

Sara lives in Corvallis with her husband, Peter and their four children—Sam, Ellie, Nicole and Maia. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, baking and playing the viola.