Cheri Yecke
| Cheri Yecke | |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Commissioner of Education | |
|
In office January 2003 – May 17, 2004 |
|
| Governor | Tim Pawlenty |
| Preceded by | Christine Jax |
| Succeeded by | Alice Seagren |
| 10th Virginia Secretary of Education | |
|
In office December 4, 2001 – January 14, 2002 |
|
| Governor | Jim Gilmore |
| Preceded by | Wilbert Bryant |
| Succeeded by | Belle Wheelan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Cheryl Ann Pierson February 5, 1955 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Dennis Yecke |
| Alma mater |
University of Hawaii University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Virginia |
Cheri Pierson Yecke (born February 5, 1955) is a conservative Republican politician and educator in the United States.
Yecke holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Hawaii, a master's of science degree in teaching from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Virginia. Yecke served on the Virginia State Board of Education under Governor George Allen (1995–1998) and then was Virginia’s Deputy Secretary of Education (1998–2001) and Secretary of Education (2001-2002) under Governor Jim Gilmore. She also served as the Director of Teacher Quality and Public School Choice at the U.S. Department of Education for the Bush administration (2002–2003), during which time she was detailed to the White House as a senior advisor for USA Freedom Corps. Yecke then became the Commissioner of Education for the State of Minnesota for Governor Tim Pawlenty (2003–2004).
As Minnesota's education commissioner, Yecke drew criticism in what was a tumultuous political battle between the newly elected governor and the DFL-controlled Senate. Yecke held her job from January 2003 to May 2004 before being forced out in a party-line vote. She then worked as a senior fellow at the Minnesota-based conservative think tank Center of the American Experiment for education and social policy, but has not been associated with the group since 2005.
Yecke ran as a Republican for Congress in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District before being offered the job in Florida as Gov. Jeb Bush's Chancellor of K-12 Education, a position she took up on October 3, 2005.
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