Gov. Glenn Youngkin

About

Governor Glenn Youngkin is a homegrown Virginian, born and raised in Richmond and Virginia Beach. From washing dishes at a local diner during middle and high school to being named co-CEO of one of the world’s top investment firms, Youngkin knows what it means to work hard and is doing so on behalf of all Virginians.

Since day one, Youngkin has been a champion for educational excellence and parents’ rights. He ushered in historic investments in education, launched lab schools to inject choice and innovation into Virginia’s public schools, funded 18% teacher raises, passed the Virginia Literacy Act to improve literacy among elementary school-age students, renewed focus on career and technical education, transformed Virginia’s school accreditation process, issued Executive Order 33 establishing cell phone-free education statewide, and implemented the All In Virginia tutoring plan to tackle learning loss stemming from extended, forced pandemic school closures by previous state leaders.

As the chief economic development officer of the Commonwealth, Youngkin has facilitated waves of business investment, bolstering job growth and opportunity. Virginia was named by CNBC as America’s Top State for Business in 2024. Under Youngkin’s leadership, Virginia has welcomed over $85 billion in capital commitments from companies moving to Virginia and major expansions from existing Virginia businesses. Since Youngkin took office in 2022, Virginia has seen record job growth, with nearly 250,000 more jobs reported and a record number of Virginians working.

Lowering the cost of living has been a top priority for Youngkin, and he’s delivered $5 billion in tax relief for working families—eliminating the state-level tax on groceries and nearly doubling the standard deduction for all Virginians. Fulfilling his promise to reduce the tax burden on Virginia’s veterans, Youngkin also removed state taxes on military retirement pay up to $40,000.

The Youngkin administration’s unwavering commitment to law enforcement is evident in record additional compensation and funding for training and equipment for public safety heroes. The Governor’s Operation Bold Blue Line has resulted in a 30% decline in homicides, and Virginia is a national leader in combating fentanyl overdoses. In just 45 days, Operation FREE Virginia reported 19,000 pounds of narcotics seized, including 550 pounds of fentanyl, over 1,000 arrests, and nearly 270 firearms confiscated. With leadership from First Lady Suzanne Youngkin’s It Only Takes One fentanyl awareness campaign, Virginia has seen a 23% decline in year-to-year overdoses—the third-highest reduction in the nation.

Youngkin has put business practices to work, making government run more efficiently and effectively—slashing Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) wait times, reducing Virginia’s regulatory burdens, streamlining permitting processes, creating universal licensing for 85 occupations in the Commonwealth, and eliminating the backlog of more than 1 million COVID-related unemployment claims while investigating and prosecuting fraud and abuse. In addition, during his administration’s first three fiscal years, the Youngkin administration saved $4.3 billion of appropriated but unspent taxpayer funds.

In response to Virginia’s behavioral health crisis, Youngkin launched Right Help, Right Now to transform the overwhelmed behavioral health system by expanding capacity and real-time access to help Virginians pre-crisis, in-crisis, and post-crisis. The Youngkin administration worked tirelessly to overhaul the state’s childcare and early education system with the Building Blocks for Virginia Families Initiative, while revamping Virginia’s foster care system and dedicating unprecedented resources to support access to developmental disability (DD) waivers.

Youngkin embraced innovation and common sense when he launched Virginia’s “All-American, All-of-the-Above” energy and power plan to deliver reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean power by promoting natural gas and nuclear power as essential components of Virginia’s energy future. With a commitment to conservation, the Governor has championed agriculture best management practices and support for clean rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Youngkin attended college at Rice University on a basketball scholarship. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and a degree in management studies. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. Youngkin’s business career included 25 years at The Carlyle Group, where he stepped down as co-CEO to run for governor.

The Governor has been married for over 30 years to Suzanne Youngkin, a devoted leader in nonprofits and charitable causes. Together, they are dedicated to their four wonderful children. Their family journey has been and continues to be guided by faith, walking hand in hand as humble followers of Christ.

Staff