Representative Pam Marsh

Pam Marsh is a Democratic politician representing House District 5 in Southern Oregon. Born November 4, 1954, in St. Louis, Missouri, she has resided in Southern Oregon since 1994, when she and her husband, Diarmuid McGuire, relocated their four children from Palo Alto, California, to the mountains above Ashland. She has been serving in the Oregon House of Representatives since January 9, 2017, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2022. She is currently serving a fifth term.

District 5 spans from the Applegate to the Greensprings and includes Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, southwest Medford, Jacksonville, and Ruch in Southern Jackson County.

Education

Pam Marsh attended the University of California, Berkeley from 1973 to 1975 and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Oregon University in 2005.

Political Experience

Legislative Service:
Marsh was first elected to the Oregon House in November 2016. She currently serves as Chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness and is a member of the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment, the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water, and the House Committee on Revenue.

Local Government:
Prior to joining the state legislature, Marsh served the City of Ashland as a City Councilor for four years and as a member and chair of the Ashland Planning Commission .

Professional Background:
Before her legislative career, Marsh worked as Deputy Director of OnTrack Rogue Valley , a nonprofit providing drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services. She served as Executive Director of the Ashland Emergency Food Bank and co-owned Green Springs Inn and Cabins. In Palo Alto, she worked for a state legislator and managed a cities association.

Notable Achievements:
Marsh has championed housing development efforts, including advocacy for modular production, infill strategies, and Project Turnkey, which created 32 shelter properties in 27 cities and increased shelter capacity by 30%. She has focused on recovery efforts from the September 2020 Almeda fire, working to ensure displaced individuals and families can return and thrive in the community. Her policy priorities include affordable housing strategies, climate resilience, clean energy, wildfire mitigation, and broadband expansion.