Michael "Mike" Yakawich is an American politician serving as a member of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

from the 51st district. He was appointed to the House in April 2022.

Early life and education

Yakawich is a native of

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Montana in 1980 and graduated from the Unification Theological Seminary in 1987.

Career

From 1995 to 2018, Yakawich operated a small business, Yakawich Gifts. From 2014 to 2022, he served as a member of the Billings City Council. Yakawich also worked as a regional director of the

Global Peace Foundation The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international nonprofit organization with a stated mission to promote “an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.” GPF partners with government ...

. On April 19, 2022, members of the Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners appointed Yakawich to succeed Frank Fleming in the

Personal life

Yakwich was raised Catholic and joined the Unification Church in 1979. He and his wife, Yukiko, have five children. He is a pastor at the Montana Family Church, a congregation affiliated with the

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Sp ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakawich, Mike Living people Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Politicians from Billings, Montana People from Yellowstone County, Montana University of Montana alumni People from Butte, Montana Unification Theological Seminary graduates American Unificationists Year of birth missing (living people)