Cyndi Munson (born May 24, 1985) is an American politician from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. She is a Democratic member of the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

, representing the 85th district since 2015. She won a special election to replace

David Dank David Michael Dank (July 14, 1938 – April 10, 2015) was a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the Nichols Hills section of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He held this position from 2007 until his death, succeeding his te ...

with over 54% of the vote.

Early life and education

Munson was born in

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

and raised in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

. Munson's father was a member of the military. Munson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...

and Master of Science in leadership education from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Universit ...

. As an undergraduate, Munson participated in a program in non-profit and voluntary services at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Career

Prior to entering politics, Munson has worked as a non-profit executive. Munson was elected to the

in 2015, the first Asian-American to serve in the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 sta ...

. In 2019, Munson was selected to serve on the Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office for Fiscal Transparency. In 2022, Munson succeeded

Emily Virgin Emily Virgin (born October 1, 1986) is an American politician who is the Minority Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She previously served as House Democratic Caucus Chair. She was first elected in 2010 at the age of 24 and repres ...

as minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

References

1985 births Living people People from Lawton, Oklahoma People from Monterey, California Georgetown University alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni University of Central Oklahoma alumni Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Women state legislators in Oklahoma 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-politician-stub