Sessions
Panel Discussion: Open for Business? The Pros & Cons of Oregon's Business Environment
10:05 AM - 11:05 AM Tue
Betsy Johnson served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and as an Oregon Senator from 2007-2021. Prior to joining Oregon’s legislature, Johnson founded TransWestern Helicopters, Inc. in 1978, which is now TransWestern Aviation, Inc. She is a licensed pilot for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. She was also appointed manager of the aeronautics division of the Oregon Department of Transportation and later vice president for legislative affairs for the Oregon Pilots Association, where she helped create the Oregon Department of Aviation.
Johnson earned her law degree from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in the 1970s, but in lieu of taking the Bar Exam, she went to Europe and the former Soviet Union to represent the U.S. on an aviation team. She has served on countless boards and commissions, including the Oregon Public Broadcasting Foundation, the Oregon Health Sciences University Foundation, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and currently the Northwestern School of Law, among others. She also has received many prestigious honors, including the Hatfield Award, the OPUDA Rock Solid Award, the Legislator of the Year Award from the Oregon Economic Development Association (OEDA) and the Gordon and Sharon Smith New Freedom Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Johnson has held numerous leadership positions during her time in the Oregon House and Senate, including having served as the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Legislative Audits and as a member of several others. Notably, she has served on Ways and Means since her first session in Oregon’s legislature.