Donna Oberlander

Donna R. Oberlander is an American Republican politician born on April 15, 1970. She is from Armstrong and Clarion counties in Pennsylvania and has dedicated over 21 years to public service. Before entering state politics, Oberlander worked as a legislative aide to State Representative Fred McIlhattan and later transitioned to the private sector to help local businesses grow and expand in Clarion County.

Political Experience

Oberlander was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in November 2008, representing the 63rd Legislative District. She served eight consecutive terms in the state house from 2009 to 2024.

Throughout her tenure, she held several significant leadership positions within the Republican caucus:

• Majority Caucus Secretary
• Majority Policy Committee Chairman
• Majority Whip

Oberlander was the first woman to serve as both Republican Whip and Policy Committee Chairman. Before her state service, she was elected to the Clarion County Board of Commissioners in 2004, where she served until 2008.

Achievements and Recognition

Oberlander authored numerous legislative measures, including Act 1 of 2011, which repealed a Uniform Construction Code mandate requiring sprinkler systems in newly constructed residential housing. She also authored Act 171 of 2016 to establish formal recognition processes for minority-, woman-, and veteran-owned businesses.

She has received multiple awards recognizing her advocacy, including consecutive "Guardian of Small Business" awards from the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business , the Rural Health Legislator award , and the Recovery Champion award . In 2022, she was named to the PA Power of Diversity Top 100 Women by City and State Magazine.

Oberlander serves on the Council of Trustees for Pennsylvania Western University and the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, drawing on her background as a certified finance professional and former small business owner.