Cheryl Youakim

Cheryl Youakim (born May 29, 1969) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Hopkins, Minnesota City Council and Southwest Light Rail Transit Corridor Management Committee. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), she is seeking the DFL endorsement for Minnesota House Seat 46B, which includes Hopkins, Minnesota and St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Early life, education, and career
Youakim grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota, where she attended high school. She has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Minnesota. Youakim is currently a Committee Administrator for the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee as well as a Hopkins City Councilmember. Youakim is the Co-Founder of Start Learning Early (an Early Childhood advocacy group).
Hopkins City Council and the Southwest Light Rail Transit Corridor Management Committee
In 2005, Youakim was elected to the Hopkins City Council. She was reelected in 2009 and again in 2013. In 2010, Youakim was appointed to the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) Corridor Management Committee. The SWLRT was deemed "nationally and regionally significant" by the Obama Administration, which sped up permitting in 2012. Approval of the project was delayed by Governor Mark Dayton late in 2013 after concerns were brought forward by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. As the representative of the smallest city on the line, Youakim received both regional and state-wide attention for her efforts to move the project forward while protecting the interests of Hopkins, Minnesota.
Personal life
Cheryl Youakim has lived in Hopkins, MN for 16 years. She is married to Jacques, a Hopkins High School mathematics teacher. They have 3 children, Maddie, Gannon, and Jacob.

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