Born and raised in a small town in Texas, Ellen Pogemiller learned the importance of community at a young age. The public schools, where her mom served on the school board, were at the center of this community and made a lasting impact on Ellen. 

 

After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in education, Ellen worked for her Congressman in Washington D.C. and then at a homeless shelter in Dayton through the Americorp VISTA program while her husband, Mark, was in residency through the United States Air Force.

 

Ellen moved to Oklahoma in 2007 when Mark was assigned to Tinker Air Force Base through his service in the Air Force. Ellen and her family have now spent the last 15 years calling House District 88 their home. 

 

Ellen has spent her life working to improve the lives of people in her city and state. She worked for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma establishing programs that increased access to food for kids and developed a program focused on improving access to healthier foods. Ellen worked for the Oklahoma County Immunization Coalition where she focused on increasing access and increasing vaccination rates. For the past four years, Ellen has fought for a great public school for every student by ensuring that  our schools have professional educators and classroom resources. 

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Ellen will stand up against extreme policies that strip our reproductive rights, attack our LGBTQ+ community, damage our public schools, and criminalize our immigrant neighbors. 

 

Ellen’s greatest job is being a mom. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband who now works as a pediatrician. Her two boys attend Oklahoma City Public Schools and she has served on the PTA and Parent Legislative Action Committee.