State Senator Dan Kotowski has devoted his adult life to public service and to his family.

Born and raised in Chicago, Dan lives with his wife, Anne of 11 years and his two sons, Nate and Cooper, in Park Ridge.

Since taking the oath of office in January of 2007 Dan has quickly become an independent voice for the 33rd Senate district ushering in a new era of progressive leadership for Illinois. 

In his short time serving the people of the 33rd district Dan has produced results and helped shape the debate on important issues such as healthcare, property taxes, veteran affairs and public safety. Dan has successfully led the fight in the following areas:

• Funding for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder
• Requiring insurance coverage for women at risk of breast cancer;
  
• Protecting our children from predators on the internet;
  
• Preventing people who are a danger to themselves and the community from purchasing a firearm;
  
• Protecting taxpayers through transparent, on-line postings of all government contracts.

Dan currently serves on five committees in the Illinois General Assembly including the Committee on State Government and Veterans Affairs as well as the Subcommittee on Special Issues and Amendments. He also serves the Committee on Human Services, the Committee on Appropriations II, and serves as the vice-chair of the Financial Institutions Committee.

Prior to being elected to represent the 33rd district in 2006, Dan served as the vice president of development and public affairs for UCAN, a human service agency that serves 5,000 children and families every year. Dan's role provided him with the ability to move easily between: the legislature in Springfield; the executive suites at many of Illinois' largest corporations; as well as the living rooms of local families to achieve a unifying goal of building a better environment for children and families in Illinois.

Before joining UCAN Dan was the executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) where he ushered in unprecedented policy change and financial growth for the organization. In this capacity he successfully advocated to pass legislation that protects women, children and families from violence; he did so by building a broad-based coalition of 1,000 community, heath and religious organizations.

Dan is the son of Casimir and Mary (Jinx) Kotowski. Having both studied for religious vocations, his parents set a wonderful, faith-based example for Dan to follow. One of five siblings (three brothers, one sister), Dan attended Daniel Boone Elementary School and then Loyola Academy in Wilmette. He graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana with a degree in English and Communications, and recently received a Masters of Arts Degree from DePaul University, graduating with distinction.