Learn about
Tekoa Cochran!

Thank you for your interest in learning more about me!

​

I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Joseph and Joyce Cochran. My father retired after serving in the US Army. My mother was a stay-at-home mom until she became a real-estate broker. I have 3 brothers and 4 sisters. 

I grew up in a middle-class family with lots of love and support. I was involved in Choir (Church and school), Band and played numerous sports growing up. I taught myself how to play numerous instruments. (Piano being my favorite!).

My parents taught my siblings, and I compassion, empathy, leadership and accountability early on. I still hold those values close to my heart. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom. If you're reading this, I love you.

I became a mother at a young age. I finished high school a year early. I married at the age of 18. My husband enlisted in the US Army. I became a widow at the age of 19. I was 5 months pregnant. My community and family were my saving grace. I understand personally the saying "It takes a village."

I have four kids. Two boys and Two girls. One of my sons is currently serving in the US Army and is stationed in Germany. My youngest son and daughter helped create a non-profit called Youth Civic Leaders. Their mission is to help other youth become civically engaged and make positive changes in the community. Youth Civic Leaders empowers youth to use their voices for positive changes. My oldest daughter is a college student and mother of my 4-year-old grandson. I am a proud grandmother! 

Raising my children has been a blessing. As you can imagine I needed a lot of support. I needed a lot of grace, understanding, empathy and well-deserved acknowledgement for still standing. My children's Teachers, Coaches, Mentors, Sunday School teachers etc. all played a critical role in supporting my family. I have so much respect for people in these roles. They are truly blessings to communities everywhere. Thank you!

The hardships in my life have given me purpose. I understand what it's like to need support. I know the importance of receiving support and resources. I know the importance of giving support. I know how important grace is. I know what it's like to be heard and unheard. Understood and mislabeled. 

I have worked in the community in numerous community focused roles such as;

-Community Health Advocate/MNSure Navigator

-Mental Health Specialist (Entry)

-Youth Advocate 

-School Bus Driver

-MA (Medical Assistant)

And various other community centered roles.

I have also been a Volunteer Softball Coach at the Boys and Girls Club. I've always took advantage of every and any opportunities to be involved with my children and their interests. (Helping out with their sports teams, theatre, field trips and much more.) 

I have always been community centered.

In 2021 I was living at Huntington Place apartments. Huntington place apartments is the second largest apartment complex in the State of MN. There are up to 3,000 residents residing there.  There were many safety concerns. Concerns about the condition of the property. Safety concerns, lack of resources and many other disparities. Communities were still recovering from COVID and the community break-down following George Floyd. I knew I had to take action. I could not ignore all of the disparities I saw first-hand in my community. 

I started by addressing these concerns to my City Leaders. I organized tenants and made a tenant group called, "The Village BP".  I built a coalition that included community members, human rights commission of BP, city leaders, neighbors, our Police/Fire/Sheriff's Department and stakeholders etc. I created safety plans, meetings and organized numerous events. Events such as Coat Drives, Food Drives, BBQ, Sporting events, Rental resources, Voter registration, Narcan Training, Community Clean-ups, Resource Events etc.

It was important to me to bring my community back together. It was important to me that we all worked together, as a community. "It takes a village".

The work I did not only resulted to new rental ordinances. It also brought trust back to our community. Police Officers and community members developed trusting relationships. Our residents were in safer environments. At risk youth were engaging in positive community settings. People who were experiencing disparities were getting needs met. Crime rates went down. People are safer.

In 2022 I received the Community Advocacy Award from ACER. 

In 2023 I received the DeLois Brown Service to Community award from the Brooklyn Park Police Department. I am honored still to this day for both awards.

In 2023 The Village BP became the new violence interrupters of Brooklyn Park. I built coalitions between BP and BC police departments that included numerous other community organizations. The coalition allowed us to expand our resources and work at a unified level to address community needs surrounding mental health resources, youth and family resources etc.  It allowed us to approach crime prevention and interruption from a strong and healthy approach. We understood that there are social, financial, health/mental health, resource accessibility and other barriers that may be affecting a person's life. As of today, crime rates are the lowest they've been in 20+ years. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work alongside of our brave men and women, and numerous other community organizations. 

I became Vice Chair of the Community Long-range Improvement Commission in 2023. In 2024 I became Chair.

As an Elected School Board member. I will always put the best interest of our community first. Leading with integrity, compassion and respect.

​

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. It is my hope that you will support me by electing me this November.

​

Tekoa Cochran

​

​

​

​

​

​