Roland Pederson

Disclaimer: All information about this candiate was directly obtained from their website and/or social media account. The feature of this candidate in our election guide does not equal an endorsement. CAIR Oklahoma is a registered 501c3 organization and non-partisan.

Candidate Details

OK Senate District: SD 19

Party Affiliation: Republican

Website:

http://www.rolandforsenate.com/

Email:

roland.pederson@oksenate.gov

Phone:

405-521-5630

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/senatorpederson

Biography

This candidate did not have a Democratic opponent and will therefore be the Senator for this district without having to run in the general election.

As a second-generation farmer and educator, Roland Pederson is a man of faith, integrity, and family—values he lives out in his daily life. He has spent the majority of his professional life, together with his wife Terry, building a family farm business that his Danish immigrant father began near Burlington. For the past 40 years, they have primarily produced cattle, wheat, and alfalfa.

With a mother who became a schoolteacher at a time when few women pursued higher education, the importance of education has always been emphasized in the Pederson family. Roland earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. Prior to pursuing production agriculture full-time, Roland served as a Chisholm High School science teacher and as Kremlin-Hillsdale Middle School’s principal. Roland is proud of the time he spent in Oklahoma’s public school classrooms and has proved he will always stand up for our teachers and our students.

As a lifelong resident of Senate District 19, Roland is dedicated to serving the interests and protecting the freedoms of Oklahoma families. Pro-life and pro-second amendment, Roland knows District 19 is home to some great Oklahomans. Roland is also focused on key areas that are important to the constituents of District 19: education, small business, agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure.

Since his election to the Senate, Roland has used every opportunity to improve the everyday lives of Oklahomans. As Vice Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Wildlife committee he has championed multiple advancements for Oklahoma’s agriculture industry and worked to remove burdensome regulations on the transportation and construction industries to grow jobs in our communities. He has also supported many measures to improve the quality and accessibility of rural healthcare in our state. During his term in office, he has also authored legislation that resulted in improvements to utility infrastructure throughout the district. He has shown he is committed to fighting back against government red tape and increasing access to essential services all over the district.

Roland’s long history of community service includes 20 years on the Burlington Cooperative Association board of directors, 30 years on the Alfalfa County Farm Bureau board of directors, past president of the Burlington Lions Club, and service on the Alfalfa Electric Cooperative Round-Up board of directors. He was also appointed to serve on the Agriculture Diversification and Enhancement Board and was a member of the Class III Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program. In 2019 he was also selected through a partnership between The State of Oklahoma and the Taiwanese Government to serve as a trade delegate to Taiwan, along with Lt. Governor, Matt Pinnell.

Roland’s service in the Air Force Reserves gives him the background to understand issues important to Vance Air Force Base. The Burlington businessman is also well known for his volunteer leadership on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau board of directors. Statewide awards include Oklahoma Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award.

A social and fiscal conservative, Roland believes the Bible is the Truth and it is the direction for his life. He believes it was the foundation on which this country was built and is the underlying guideline in forming our constitution and building family values. He has more than 50 years of service to the Driftwood Christian Church, investing time as board chairman, elder, and Sunday school teacher.

Family is important to Roland and he believes the future of Oklahoma families should be front and center. He and Terry, a retired middle school teacher, have two daughters, Kristy and Toni, who share in their parents’ passion for agriculture and education and are engaged in the family farm business. Toni works in rural and agriculture lending at a regional bank, and Kristy is a professor at The University of Georgia. Kristy and her husband, Cory, have three children, Kyden, Nekoline, and Abilyn.

Our Faith. Our Freedom. The Future For Our Families.