Tamra Mabbott grew up on a small dairy farm along the Rogue River in Southern Oregon, the second of four siblings. While attending University of California, Los Angeles, she worked full time and volunteered with a variety of political organizations, giving her work experience for her B.A. degree in Political Science. She continued her education in Urban Planning earning a M.A. Urban Planning, followed by completion of an advanced program in Fiscal Studies at the University of Bath, England. Tamra has worked the last 30 years as a land use planner in eastern Oregon. She has served on a number of state and local boards and advocates for a balance between development and natural resource protection.