HARRISBURG, Pa. — To officially kick off the 203rd session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Rep. Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest) joined her colleagues in taking the oath of office on Tuesday, January 1.

For this session, Oberlander, who is a member of the House Republican leadership team, will serve as chairman of the House Majority Policy Committee.

She is the first Republican woman to be elected to that leadership post.

As Majority Policy Committee chairman, Oberlander will conduct hearings about important issues, gather testimony and information from key stakeholders, and work with her colleagues in the House Republican Caucus to develop policies to address those issues. Key issues of the Policy Committee in the past few years have involved rural broadband accessibility, the opioid epidemic, job creation, and economic development, among a host of others.

Oberlander first joined the House in 2009.

She claimed a sixth term in the Pennsylvania Legislature representing the 63rd District in the November election easily defeating Democratic newcomer Conrad Warner. Her campaign focused on her experience as a representative as well as a small businessperson. She noted she has fought taxes and regulation in an attempt to keep viable jobs in the region. She was billed by her campaign as a fiscal conservative, pro-life, Second Amendment supporter.

She was recently honored as the Rural Health Legislator of the Year.

Born and raised in Clarion County, Oberlander holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Clarion University and serves on the Council of Trustees. Donna and her husband, Derek, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, reside in Clarion. They have two children, Tori and Tanner.