About Sara

Sara Gelser (Democrat, Corvallis) was sworn in as State Representative for House District 16 on December 2, 2005 after being appointed to fill a legislative vacancy. In 2006, she was elected to the position. Soon thereafter, she was elected as Assistant Majority Leader for Policy for the 2007 legislative session.

During the 2007 session, Sara served on the Revenue Committee, the Health Care Committee, and was Vice Chair of the Human Services and Women's Wellness Committee. She was also appointed to chair the House Guidelines Committee, which was created to oversee stringent ethics reform in the Oregon House of Representatives. In her first full term in office, Sara was able to pass several bills she introduced. Most significantly, she passed Karly's Law which will improve child abuse investigations statewide and a Mediciad waiver bill which will allow children with severe disabilities to grow up in their family homes rather than foster care or nursing facilities. She also saw successful passage of a bill to allow statewide electronic permitting for contractors. This was the largest regulatory streamlining initiative for the construction industry in the United States. Sara was also a founding member of the new Oregon Senior and Disability Caucus.

In 2007 Sara was recognized with a "Champion" award by the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, and received the Sylvia Mann Capper Award in recognition of her work on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. At the end of session, Gelser was recognized by the Oregon Nurse's Association as one of four "Rising Stars" in the Oregon Legislature and she achieved a 100% rating from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.

Sara served on the Corvallis School Board from 2001 until August of 2006, serving one year as vice-chair. She is a past president of The Arc of Benton County. She is a member of the Corvallis chapter of Zonta, 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.

Sara’s professional history includes work as a policy analyst for the Oregon Department of Human Services. She was an instructor at Linn-Benton Community College and a regional coordinator for the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center, where she provided training to parents, educators and administrators about the implementation of 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. Prior to these activities, she worked as a substitute teacher in the Richmond Community School System and as the youth minister at Grace Lutheran Church in Corvallis.

Sara was appointed chair of an interim Senate working group on special education in 2000 by State Senator Gary George (R-Newberg). She was also appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council by Governor John Kitzhaber and the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities by Governor Ted Kulongoski. She previously served on the state Dispute Resolution Board through the Oregon Department of Education, and is a member of the National Early Childhood Transition and Research Council Advisory Board based out of Lexington, Kentucky. She served as a member of the Linn-Benton-Lincoln ESD budget committee for two years.

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