Preceded by Maralyn Chase Role Politician Political party Democratic | Spouse(s) Cody Ryu Party Democratic Party Name Cindy Ryu | |
Alma mater University of Washington Residence Shoreline, Washington, United States | ||
Education University of Washington | ||
Representative cindy ryu s acceptance speech for the korean american bar association award
Cindy Ryu is an American politician of the Democratic Party. She is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 32nd district. She is the first Korean American female to be a mayor in the USA. Rep. Ryu is the chair of the House Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs Committee. She also chairs the House Members of Color Caucus and Overseas Korean Politicians Council.
Rep. Cindy Ryu represents the 137,000 citizens of the 32nd Legislative District, which includes NW Seattle, Shoreline, south Edmonds, Woodway, west Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood.
Cindy is a 48-year resident of Washington State and lived previously in South Korea, Brunei, and the Philippines. She is a proud Husky, with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a MBA in operations management from the University of Washington.
While serving as a Shoreline City Councilmember, Cindy was elected Mayor in 2008, becoming the first female Korean-American mayor in the U.S.A. Cindy was president of both the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and its Dollars For Scholars Chapter. She helped create Shoreline’s Green Business Program.
Serving her fourth House term in the Washington State Legislature, Cindy chairs the House Community Development, Housing, and Tribal Affairs committee which also considers Veterans Affairs, Tourism, and Community Resilience. Other committee assignments: Commerce and Gaming; Capital Budget; Community Economic Revitalization Board.
Cindy is a strong advocate for the small business owner, public schools, public transportation, environmental and consumer protection and public safety. Rep. Ryu seeks increased access to credit building, affordable small consumer loans for the working poor and welcomes ideas for implementable solutions to make Washington a better place for us to live, work, and raise our families.
Over the years, she prime-sponsored bills and amendments that protect consumers, increase police accountability and protect our privacy, encourage economic revitalization, reform insurance and credit union laws, strengthen our human trafficking laws to discourage the modern version of slavery, allow air rescue and evacuation services and small business partnerships, and increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety with her 20-mph Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill. Recently, her bill with bipartisan support allowed legally present foreign nationals to obtain and retain their commercial drivers' licenses, to keep commerce moving. Another reinstated exemption of martial arts instructions from sales tax.