Rep. Laurie Jinkins’ Biography

Laurie Jinkins represents the 27^th Legislative District in Pierce County, which includes East, Downtown, Hilltop, North, Northeast, West, and part of South Tacoma as well as Ruston and Fife Heights.

She is a native Midwesterner who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law (then the University of Puget Sound School Of Law). Jinkins also completed executive studies at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Jinkins started her career litigating child abuse and neglect cases for the state Attorney General’s Office. She then shifted her career toward public health, eventually serving as an assistant secretary of health at the state Department of Health before taking the position of director of organizational development at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, where she continues to serve.

Her legislative priorities include improving our schools and health care, helping working families and transforming Washington’s revenue structure.

Community involvement:

-        Fair Housing Washington, board member (current)

-        Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, board member (current)

-        Tacoma Rotary 8, member (current)

-        Tacoma Community College, board member, chair (1998-2010)

-        Tacoma-Pierce County American Leadership Forum, board member, chair (2003-10)

-        Approve Referendum 71, campaign co-chair (2009)

-        Tacoma Community House, board member, chair (2004-09)

-        Seattle University School of Law, board member (2002-06)

-        Tacoma Charter Review Committee (local government reform), chair (2004)

-        Tacoma United for Fairness, chair (2002)

-        The Tacoma-Pierce County YWCA, board member, president (1991-96)

-        Tacoma Hate Crimes Task Force, chair (1990-92)

Jinkins lives in Tacoma with her partner, Laura Wulf, and their 12-year-old son.