Erin Oban grew up in a farm family in Ray, North Dakota, a small, rural community in the heart of ag and energy country. Erin moved to Bismarck to further her education and received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Mary. Erin's professional career began as a middle school math and technology teacher before leaving the classroom and gaining experiences in nonprofit management, politics, education leadership, and public service. Erin was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 to represent central Bismarck’s District 35 in the North Dakota State Senate. During her legislative service, she quickly became an effective and respected leader, rising to the position of Assistant Senate Minority Leader in 2021. Throughout her two terms in the legislature, she served on the Senate’s Education, Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Government and Veterans Affairs, and Political Subdivisions Committees. Erin was thrice elected by her peers to serve on the powerful Legislative Management Committee and was twice appointed with bipartisan support as chairwoman of the legislature’s Interim Education Policy Committee. Her leadership in the Senate and collaborative, bipartisan effort in the legislature on issues of importance has been recognized by many local and statewide associations and earned her national fellowships to further her advocacy for North Dakota. In March 2022, Erin received a Presidential appointment to continue public service as state director for USDA Rural Development in North Dakota, a mission area within the US Department of Agriculture working to expand economic opportunity and improve the lives of people in North Dakota's rural and tribal communities. Erin remains active in her community and makes her home in Bismarck with her husband, Chad, and their son, Evin.
