Hoon-Yung Hopgood
State Representative
Michigan House of Representatives

Representative Hoon-Yung Hopgood has been a resident of Taylor for the past 25 years, since 1976 when he was adopted by Diane (Chris) and the late Rollie Hopgood.  He was successful in a five person Primary Election for State Representative on August 6, 2002 and went on to win the General Election for the 22^nd House District on November 5, 2002.  Mr. Hoon-Yung represents the cities of Taylor and Romulus and serves as the first Korean-American to hold state office in Michigan.  Representative Hoon-Yung was born in Inchon, South Korea on December 8, 1974.

Mr. Hopgood attended Holland Elementary School, Hoover Junior High School, and Truman High School where he graduated with honors in 1992. He went on to attend the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor where he obtained his Bachelors of Arts in 1996 while majoring in Political Science.  He currently is pursuing a Masters of Public Administration from Northern Michigan University in Lansing, Michigan.

Mr. Hopgood received an internship in the Washington, D.C. Office of Congresswoman Lynn Rivers in the summer of 1995. After undergraduate college, he worked for the Michigan State AFL-CIO as a Labor Coordinator during the 1996 campaigns.  His candidate for state representative won in one of the closest races statewide and helped return the Michigan House of Representatives to Democratic control.

At the beginning of 1997, Representative Hoon-Yung Hopgood started working for the House Democratic Policy Staff.   He was able to work on a variety of legislative issues but concentrated on K-12 education. In 1999, he joined the legislative office of State Representative Raymond Basham.  While in Rep. Basham’s Office, Mr. Hopgood was engaged in several important legislative issues for the district, as well as the state.  He also provided many constituent services for the 22^nd House District.

Mr. Hopgood is a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, the 16^th District Democratic Party, the Michigan Young Democrats, the Democratic Club of Taylor, the Michigan Democratic Action Network, the University of Michigan Club of Downriver, and the Advisory Board of the Council of Asian-Pacific Americans.

Mr. Hopgood has been engaged in several volunteer efforts which included child literacy programs, holiday meal deliveries, Angel Night patrols in the city of Detroit, and low-income assistance programs.

In the Michigan House of Representatives, Mr. Hopgood serves on the Education, Energy and Technology, and the Regulatory Reform Committees.  He is also a member of the Steel/Mining Caucus, the Children’s Caucus, the Capitol Speakers Bureau, and on the Board of Michigan Youth in Government.

Representative Hoon-Yung Hopgood’s late father, Rollie, served as the President of the Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel.  His mother, Diane, retired as the principal at Johnson Elementary School in Taylor.  His brother, Jung-Hoe, lives in Taylor and works as an environmental engineer for Wade Trim, Inc.  His sister, Mei-Ling, is a Washington, D.C. correspondent for the Dayton Daily News.  His grandmother and several other relatives live in Taylor, Michigan.