Career Timeline of Glenn Youngkin: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Glenn Youngkin, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Glenn Youngkin is an American politician and businessman. He served as the 74th Governor of Virginia from 2022 to 2026. Prior to entering politics, Youngkin spent 25 years at The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, eventually becoming its co-CEO in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, his election marked a shift in Virginia's political landscape.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1990: Joined First Boston

In 1990, after graduating from Rice, Glenn Youngkin joined the investment bank First Boston, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions and capital market financing.

1992: Left Credit Suisse First Boston

In 1992, Glenn Youngkin left Credit Suisse First Boston (formerly First Boston) to pursue an MBA.

1994: Joined McKinsey & Company

In 1994, after receiving his MBA, Glenn Youngkin joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

August 1995: Joined The Carlyle Group

In August 1995, Glenn Youngkin joined the Washington, D.C. private-equity firm The Carlyle Group.

1999: Named Partner and Managing Director

In 1999, Glenn Youngkin was named a partner and managing director of Carlyle.

2000: Managed UK Buyout Team

From 2000 to 2005, Glenn Youngkin managed The Carlyle Group's United Kingdom buyout team.

2005: Managed Global Industrial Sector Investment Team

From 2005 to 2008, Glenn Youngkin managed The Carlyle Group's global industrial sector investment team.

2006: Daniel G. LeBlanc's nomination rejected

In 2006, Daniel G. LeBlanc, an AFL–CIO chief nominated by Tim Kaine to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth, was rejected by Republicans.

April 2008: Focused on Carlyle's Strategy

In April 2008, Carlyle's founders asked Glenn Youngkin to step back from deal-making to focus on the firm's broader strategy.

2008: Moved to Broader Strategy Role

In 2008, Carlyle's founders asked Glenn Youngkin to step back from deal-making to focus on the firm's broader strategy.

2009: Chaired Operating Committee

In 2009, Glenn Youngkin chaired a seven-person operating committee at Carlyle, which oversaw the non-deal, day-to-day operations of the firm. Youngkin and Daniel Akerson also joined the firm's executive committee.

2009: First Republican Governor since McDonnell

In 2021, Glenn Youngkin became the state's first Republican governor since Bob McDonnell in 2009.

2010: Joined Carlyle's Management Committee

In 2010, Glenn Youngkin joined the management committee at The Carlyle Group.

March 2011: Became COO

In March 2011, Glenn Youngkin became chief operating officer of the Carlyle Group.

June 2014: Stepped down as COO

Glenn Youngkin was chief operating officer of the Carlyle Group from March 2011 until June 2014.

June 2014: Became Co-President and Co-COO

In June 2014, Glenn Youngkin and Michael J. Cavanagh became the co-presidents and co-chief operating officers of The Carlyle Group.

May 2015: Became President and COO

In May 2015, Michael J. Cavanagh left The Carlyle Group, leaving Glenn Youngkin as president and COO of the firm.

October 2017: Named Co-CEO

In October 2017, The Carlyle Group announced that Glenn Youngkin and Kewsong Lee would become co-CEOs effective January 1, 2018.

January 1, 2018: Became Co-CEO

On January 1, 2018, Glenn Youngkin and Kewsong Lee became co-CEOs of The Carlyle Group.

2018: Became Co-CEO

In 2018, Glenn Youngkin became co-CEO at The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, after spending 25 years with the company.

September 2020: Retired from The Carlyle Group

Glenn Youngkin retired from The Carlyle Group at the end of September 2020, after serving as co-CEO for about 30 months.

2020: Youngkin founds Virginia Ready Initiative

In 2020, Glenn Youngkin and his wife founded a nonprofit organization called Virginia Ready Initiative. The initiative focuses on connecting unemployed people in Virginia with job-training programs and potential employers.

2020: Trump's False Claims

In 2020, Trump made false claims about the election which led to Youngkin campaigning for both sides of the Republican party.

January 2021: Declared Candidacy for Governor

In January 2021, Glenn Youngkin declared that he would seek the Republican Party of Virginia's nomination for governor of Virginia.

May 10, 2021: Won Republican Nomination

On May 10, 2021, Glenn Youngkin won the Republican nomination at the party's state convention after multiple rounds of ranked-choice voting.

August 2021: Youngkin proposes tax cuts during campaign

In late August 2021, during his campaign, Glenn Youngkin proposed a series of tax cuts, including eliminating the grocery tax, suspending the gas tax increase, offering a one-time income tax rebate, doubling the standard income tax deduction, cutting the retirement tax on veterans' income, requiring voter approval for local real estate property tax increases, and offering a tax holiday for small businesses. These proposals would have totaled $1.8 billion in one-time tax cuts and $1.4 billion in recurring tax cuts. He proposed paying for the cuts with the state's budget surplus.

September 2021: Youngkin's net worth estimated at $440 million

As of September 2021, Glenn Youngkin's estimated net worth was $440 million. He contributed $20 million of his own money to his race for governor.

November 2, 2021: Defeated McAuliffe

On November 2, 2021, Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial election, with a margin of 50.6% to 48.6%.

December 20, 2021: Began Nominating Cabinet

Glenn Youngkin began nominating his sixteen-member cabinet on December 20, 2021, but did not finish the process until after his inauguration.

2021: Won Republican Primary

In 2021, Glenn Youngkin won the Republican primary for governor of Virginia and defeated former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe in the general election.

January 15, 2022: Sworn in as Governor

On January 15, 2022, Glenn Youngkin was sworn in as governor of Virginia. Winsome Earle-Sears and Jason Miyares took office as well.

January 19, 2022: Youngkin finished his cabinet nominations

On January 19, 2022, Glenn Youngkin completed his cabinet nominations by choosing a chief diversity officer. This position was initially created by his predecessor, Ralph Northam, due to a scandal, suggesting Youngkin's delay caused speculation about potentially removing the role.

May 2022: Youngkin Scales Back Telework Policy

In May 2022, Youngkin announced that on July 5 of that year, he would be scaling back the telework policy for Virginia's executive branch employees, which had been expanded two years earlier by Northam in response to the pandemic. Under Youngkin's policy, those employees can telework with varying levels of approval depending on the number of days.

2022: Youngkin Campaigns for Republicans

During the 2022 United States elections, Youngkin campaigned for Republicans in other states, supporting candidates who both embraced and rejected Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.

2022: Allocation for School Construction and Maintenance

In 2022, $1.25 billion was allocated in the biennial state budget for school construction and maintenance. Although this exceeded the amount proposed in Northam's outgoing budget, it is still a fraction of the $25 billion estimated by the Virginia Department of Education as necessary to fully replace the state's oldest schools.

2022: 74th Governor of Virginia

In 2022, Glenn Youngkin became the 74th Governor of Virginia.

2022: Youngkin signs state budget with tax cuts

In 2022, Youngkin signed a $165 billion state budget featuring $4 billion in tax cuts. The budget included an increase in the standard deduction for personal income tax, one-time tax rebates, and a partial elimination of Virginia's grocery tax. It also included a tax exemption for military pensions and made a portion of the earned income tax credit refundable.

2022: Signing of Biennial State Budget

In 2022, Youngkin signed a biennial state budget allocating $19.2 billion to education, a record for the state even when adjusted for inflation. This figure surpassed the $16.95 billion initially proposed by Republicans. This budget commitment was part of a compromise with Democrats, who agreed to enact several of Youngkin's tax cut proposals in exchange for increased education spending.

2022: Medical Marijuana Reform

In 2022, Youngkin signed legislation allowing patients to immediately purchase medical marijuana upon receiving a certificate from a registered medical provider, eliminating the prior requirement to register with the State Board of Pharmacy due to long wait times.

2022: Marijuana Penalties and Regulations

In 2022, as part of a bipartisan budget deal signed by Youngkin, Virginia made possessing between four ounces and one pound of marijuana in public a Class 3 misdemeanor for a first-time offense. The budget deal also banned the sale of cannabis products shaped as animals, humans, vehicles, or fruits, to protect against accidental consumption by children.

2022: Expansion of Virginia Preschool Initiative

In 2022, the Virginia Preschool Initiative was expanded as part of the biennial state budget. This expansion lowered the age eligibility to include three-year-olds and raised the income threshold to 300% of the federal poverty line. Previously the initiative only served children aged four or older from families earning less than the federal poverty line.

2022: Re-establishment of Lab Schools in Virginia

In 2022, the state budget signed by Youngkin included $100 million for re-establishing lab schools in Virginia. Additionally, an amendment was introduced by Youngkin to remove the requirement that all lab schools act as teacher training programs. This amendment also opened lab school partnerships to be formed with community colleges or certain private universities.

2022: Inauguration

Youngkin was inaugurated two years into the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. His first week in office coincided with the January 14–17, 2022 North American winter storm. On the night of his inauguration, Youngkin held a celebratory event at the Richmond Main Street Station.

2023: THC Limit on Cannabis Products

In 2023, Youngkin signed a bill that bans the sale in Virginia of products containing more than 0.2 milligrams of THC or 0.3% total THC; the bill includes an exception for products containing 25 times more CBD than THC.

2024: Virginia regains Top State for Business title

In 2024, Virginia regained the CNBC title as the Top State for Business. The state had lost its top spot during Youngkin's first year in office due to worse scores in the "life, health and inclusion" and "workforce" categories. Virginia had earned the spot twice in a row during Northam's governorship.

2024: Veto of Legislation to Permit Commercial Sales of Marijuana

In 2024, Youngkin vetoed legislation to permit commercial sales of marijuana in Virginia.

2024: Executive Order on Mobile Phone Use in Schools

On June 9th, 2024, Youngkin signed an executive order prohibiting mobile phone use during classtime within public schools, with exceptions for lunch time and time between class periods.

2025: Ineligible for Re-election

Due to term limits set in Virginia's constitution, Youngkin was ineligible to run for re-election in 2025. He was succeeded by Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

2025: Executive Order on Mobile Phone Use in Schools

On May 30th, 2025 Youngkin signed an executive order completely prohibiting mobile phone use within public schools.

2026: End of Term

Glenn Youngkin served as the 74th governor of Virginia from 2022 to 2026.

2026: Youngkin Reflects on Tenure

In 2026, Youngkin stated that he had few regrets during his time as governor, despite not achieving many of his policy goals due to Democratic control in the Virginia General Assembly.