Dale P. Kooyenga

Dale Kooyenga (born February 12, 1979) is an American politician, Certified Public Accountant, and Army Reserve officer serving as a member of the Wisconsin Senate. He was elected in January 2019 and represents the 5th district.[1] He was previously a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 14th district from January 2011 to January 2019.

Dale P. Kooyenga
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2019
Preceded by	Leah Vukmir
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019
Preceded by	Leah Vukmir
Succeeded by	Robyn Vining
Personal details
Born	February 12, 1979 Oak Lawn, Illinois
Political party	Republican
Residence	Brookfield, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Lakeland College (BA) Marquette University (MBA)
Website	Official website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Army Reserve
Years of service	2005 – present
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Bronze Star Medal

Early life and education

Born in Oak Lawn, Illinois Kooyenga grew up the oldest of four siblings in the southwest Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park, Illinois. He attended Chicago Christian High School and went on to attend Moraine Valley Community College. Kooyenga played basketball at Moraine Valley and was subsequently recruited by Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where he played NCAA Div III basketball and graduated with honors. Kooyenga earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 and MBA from Marquette University in 2007.

He is an Iraq War veteran.[2][3] He continues to serve as in the Army Reserve as a major in military intelligence.

Career

Kooyenga moved to Milwaukee in 2001, passed the Certified Public Accounting exam, and began working for a large international accounting firm.

In 2005 Kooyenga left public accounting to join the United States Army. He attended the United States Army's basic training, Officer Candidate School and the Military Intelligence Officer Course. After completing the year-long Army training Kooyenga returned to his career in public accounting and married.

Kooyenga was called up for service in Iraq in 2008. Although trained as a Military Intelligence Officer, Kooyenga was assigned as the 4th Infantry Division's Officer in Charge of Economic Development in Baghdad. Kooyenga served in Iraq from January 2008 to November 2008. The team in charge of economic development created thousands of jobs by utilizing a combination of micro-grants, introducing foreign investors and working directly with Iraqi small, medium and large business. Kooyenga was part of a team that realized an 80% decrease in significant hostile acts from January 2008 to November 2008. Kooyenga was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.

In Fall 2010, Kooyenga was elected to represent the 14th District for the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2011.

In May 2017, Kooyenga removed a protester's sign, which had a valid permit, from a public area of the Wisconsin State Capitol which was critical of President Donald Trump.[4] The owner filed a lawsuit against Kooyenga and the State of Wisconsin for violating his First Amendment rights, which led to the State paying him $30,000 to settle the lawsuit in April 2018.[4]

Electoral history

Wisconsin State Senate, 5th District election, 2018 [5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Dale Kooyenga	47,836	51.15%
	Democratic	Julie Henszey	45,591	48.75%
	Others		102	0.11%

References

1. "Wisconsin State Legislature Home Page". legis.wisconsin.gov.
2. "2019 Wisconsin State Representatives". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
3. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
4. "Wisconsin taxpayers to pay $30,000 to settle lawsuit after Rep. Dale Kooyenga took a protester's sign". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
5. "Wisconsin State Election Results" (PDF). November 6, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2019.