| Karen Yarbrough | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 7th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2001 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 22, 1950 Washington, DC |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Henderson Yarbrough |
Karen Yarbrough is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 7th District since 2001. In 2006 Yarbrough became the Democratic Committeeman of Proviso Township by defeating incumbent committeeman Eugene Moore, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
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Yarbrough's father, Don Williams, is a State Farm insurance agent and former village president of the Village of Maywood.
Yarbrough earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University and a master’s in Inner City Studies from Northeastern Illinois University.
Yarbrough is the founder and CEO of Hathaway Insurance Agency, where she has worked for thirty years.
For eight years, Yarbrough served as the first female president of the Maywood Chamber of Commerce. She established the Gold Card Program, which provided opportunities for business and education to work together to provide scholarships for deserving students. Yarbrough also served as a board member of the United Way of Suburban Chicago and the Oak Park YMCA.
Yarbrough was first elected in 2000, defeating the appointed incumbent Wanda Sharp. Her term began in January, 2001.
Yarbrough is committed to helping families. She pushed for All Kids which ensure that all children in Illinois get affordable health care. The All Kids program will provide working families that make too much for KidCare, but not enough to afford private insurance, with affordable health insurance.
In addition, Yarbrough sponsored a bill to support challenged children. The bill provides funding to train teachers and school administrators to recognize and be sensitive to the special needs of students who are pregnant or living in abusive environments. As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, Yarbrough serves on seven committees: Housing and Urban Development (Chairwoman), House Insurance Committee (Vice-Chairwoman), Environmental Health Committee, Appropriations: Public Safety, Computer Technology, Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and the Governor’s Safety and Re-Entry Commission.
Representative Yarbrough’s husband, Henderson Yarbrough is Mayor of the Village of Maywood. They have seven grandchildren.