Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) is serving her second term in the Oregon Senate. She joined the Senate after being appointed to fill the District 16 position formerly held by Senator Joan Dukes. The appointment came as Betsy began her 3rd term in the Oregon House of Representatives. Her father, the late Sam Johnson, was a member of the House of Representatives from Redmond. Her mother, Becky Johnson, has served on numerous State Boards, including the State Board of Higher Education and the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission.

Betsy received her undergraduate degree in History from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and her Law degree from the Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College.

A licensed commercial pilot of both fixed and rotor-wing aircraft, she founded Transwestern Helicopters, Inc. in 1978. The helicopter division of the firm was sold in 1993 and the company, now known as Transwestern Aviation, Inc., is managed by her husband, John Helm.

In September 1993, Betsy was selected as Manager of the Aeronautics Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation, a position she held until September 1998. During the 1999 Legislative Session she was Vice President for Legislative Affairs for the Oregon Pilots Association, where she successfully championed legislation that created the Oregon Department of Aviation.

Betsy has served on numerous local, regional and national boards and commissions, including the Oregon Health Sciences University Foundation, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, the Oregon Public Broadcasting Foundation, the High Desert Museum and is a former Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Betsy currently serves on a number of regional boards: she was most recently elected as a member of the Board of Visitors, Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College. She also serves as the Vice-President of the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation.

Betsy was elected to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of St. Helens in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996. Other elected positions she had held include Director of the Columbia County Health District in 1990.