Meet Rep. Ellyn Hefner

Representative Hefner is a proven leader in her community and at the State Capitol.

If re-elected, Ellyn will continue to put House District 87 and Oklahoma families first while working across the aisle to deliver solutions for our state.

​​

Representative Ellyn Hefner is a mom, widow, advocate, financial advisor, and State Representative for House District 87. Ellyn’s family moved to Oklahoma 4 decades ago from Chicago and is proud to call Oklahoma her home. Her path to public service was shaped by her own family’s experience raising her youngest son, who was born with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Learning to navigate Oklahoma’s developmental disability service system and advocate for her son inspired Ellyn to work together for disability rights and stronger support for families across the state.

​

Before serving in the Legislature, Ellyn was a small business owner with her late husband in Oklahoma City. After her youngest son was born with a disability, her career shifted toward advocacy and family support. She became a health coordinator for the Oklahoma Family Network, serving families of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and later became a financial advisor and special needs planner. For more than 20 years, Ellyn has worked with parents, caregivers, providers, and advocates to help families plan for the future, access resources, and build long-term support for people with disabilities. She is also a strong advocate for ABLE accounts, which help people with disabilities save, plan, and support a good life without losing access to critical services. Ellyn’s first advocacy at the Capitol was for Oklahoma’s early intervention program, SoonerStart and went on to serve on the Interagency Coordinating Council for SoonerStart, including as Chair, and was appointed by the Governor to the Advisory Committee on Services to Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

​

Since being elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Ellyn has worked diligently to build relationships across the aisle, listen to others, and bring common sense solutions to the State Capitol. As co-chair of the Disabilities Caucus, she has brought a new and needed perspective to conversations about disability services, healthcare, education, employment, and support for Oklahoma families.

​

In her first two terms, Representative Hefner has shown that when elected officials are willing to work together, listen to constituents, and put people over politics, we can deliver real results for Oklahoma. 

​

Currently, Ellyn serves as the Chairman of the Bylaw committee for the National Council for Insurance Legislators, NCOIL is a national, bipartisan, legislative organization with the nation’s 50 states as members. Also, with Rep. Lee Johnson from Arkansas serves as co-chair for Heartland Caucus bringing together top public policy decision makers across eight states to solve maternal health, mental health and workforce shortages.