“In order to truly move forward as a state, we must invest in our children. Our children deserve a quality education, and our teachers deserve competitive compensation. Educating our children and paying our teachers shouldn’t be a political battleground – It is something that we should all agree on, whether Republican, Democrat, independent or apolitical. It is time to make education a priority in Mississippi.
~ SHANDA M. YATES
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE
Shanda Yates is a working mother, a small-business owner, an attorney, a proud public school
graduate and the first in her family to obtain a college degree. Yates understands, first-hand,
the struggles and hardships faced by working families and small-business owners in Mississippi.
She also understands and values the importance of providing the children of Mississippi with a quality public education and a system that promotes and encourages the teachers who are educating the future of Mississippi.
Yates graduated from Pearl High School, Hinds Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. She obtained her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2007, where she graduated cum laude and served as an editor of the Law Review.
Her legal career has been equally divided between representing small-business owners, Fortune 500 companies and injured Mississippians. Having advocated on behalf of such a wide range of clients, Yates has a unique, balanced perspective that allows her to understand the concerns of a diverse constituency. Her experience as an attorney will allow her to effectively advocate for the children, teachers and working families of Mississippi. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, the Mississippi Association for Justice and the Junior League of Jackson. She has also been a member of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, where she served as editor of the MDLA Quarterly for several years.
Yates is married to Yancy Burns, a combat veteran deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom with the Mississippi Army National Guard. They are the proud parents of Evan, their very spirited four-year-old son.
ABOUT HOUSE DISTRICT 64
Counties represented: Hinds and Madison Counties
School Districts represented: Jackson Public School District, Madison County School District
Endorsed: 2019