Meet Cyndi!
Meet Cyndi!
Cyndi Munson is one of us. She has overcome life’s challenges to be where she is today, working to help others.
The daughter of a Vietnam War Veteran and a South Korean immigrant, Cyndi grew up in Lawton. Cyndi and her younger sister were raised by their single father, who worked multiple jobs while serving in the U.S. Army. To make ends meet, her family had to move every year chasing cheaper rent. Cyndi would move 10 times before graduating high school, all in the same town.
After graduating from Lawton Eisenhower High School, Cyndi attended the University of Central Oklahoma and became the first person in her family to graduate from college, only because of the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program, which provides free in-state college tuition to low-income families.
Cyndi spent over a decade working in the non-profit community. At the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma she provided leadership programs for thousands of girls in low-income schools, juvenile detention centers, and public housing. Cyndi also spent time at a non-profit working to improve children’s lives through shared reading with their incarcerated parents.
Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in September of 2015, Cyndi became the first Asian-American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. As the Minority Leader she led the bipartisan effort to repeal the state sales tax on groceries, provided tax relief to everyday Oklahomans, fought for increased funding for public schools, stood up to insurance companies, and more. Cyndi has fought against the most extreme measures in the Legislature, such as the strictest abortion ban in the country, attacks on trans kids, mandating the teaching of Bibles in public schools, and attacks on tribal sovereignty. Cyndi and her caucus were the first to call for an impeachment investigation into State Superintendent of Instruction Ryan Walters.
Cyndi lives in Oklahoma City and enjoys running, reading, rowing, hiking, painting, puzzles, and mentoring young women across the state. Most of all, she loves spending time with her nephew, Jude.