Hon. Karen Yarbrough

Hon. Karen Yarbrough

Native of Washington, D.C., a licensed real estate broker and insurance agent, Recorder Yarbrough is a full time administrator for Cook County Illinois overseeing a $12 million dollar budget and one hundred-eighty (180) employees, the 2nd largest Recorder’s office in the United States. She has a B.A. in Business Management from Chicago State University and an M.A. in Inner City Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. She has served on numerous boards, enhancing the quality of life for citizens and has received many prestigious awards highlighting her advocacy, community service and legislative work. In 2011, Yarbrough, as chief House Sponsor helped make history by passing legislation to end the death penalty in Illinois. This legislation was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn making it the 16th state to do so. Recorder Yarbrough, in her continued pursuit to institute new laws to protect taxpayers and as a chief advocate for property owners in Cook County, advanced three bills through the legislature in 2013. HB 2832 empowers county recorders to help property owners fight property fraud; HB 2905 raises the penalty for knowingly filing false claims of interest or attempting to cloud a property title from a misdemeanor to a felony; and HB 2269 requires Cook County notaries who validate transfers of property to maintain detailed records of each and forward them to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office. These bills have all been signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn. Karen and her husband, Henderson, have a blended family of six and share twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.