Ellyn Hefner is a Democratic member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing District 87 in Oklahoma City. She serves as Minority Caucus Vice Chair and was reelected to a second term in the November 5, 2024, general election for the 61st legislative session. A widow and single mother of three children—Evelyn, Harry, and William—Hefner became a dedicated advocate for families with disabilities after her youngest son was born with intellectual and developmental disabilities , shifting her career to support such families over the past 18 years.

Education and Political Experience

Hefner graduated in 2013 from Partners in Policymaking, a leadership training program focused on advocacy for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her professional background includes owning a business, serving as a health coordinator with the Oklahoma Family Network , working as a financial advisor at MassMutual Oklahoma, and acting as a Chartered Special Needs Consultant with Arogos Financial, where she helps families plan finances including government benefits, special needs trusts, and Social Security.

In leadership roles, she has served as Chairman of the Board of Daily Living Centers in Oklahoma City, President of the Sotos Syndrome Support Association International, member and Chair of the Interagency Coordinating Council for Sooner Start, and Governor-appointed member of the Advisory Committee on Services to Persons with Developmental Disabilities. She currently sits on the Santa Fe Family Life Center Board and development committee, and acts as an ambassador for Oklahoma's ABLE accounts.

Notable political positions and achievements include serving on the Health and Human Services Oversight, Insurance, Energy, A&B Finance Subcommittee, Rules, and Select Committee to Review Mental Health Finances committees. She is co-chair of the Heartland Caucus and the Disabilities Caucus, Vice Chair of the Joint State-Federal Relations & International Insurance Issues for NCOIL , and a member of its budget and executive committees. Key accomplishments from her first term: authoring HB3792 to expand post-secondary opportunities for students with IDD and securing budget raises for caregivers of Oklahomans with disabilities.