1. Dale Kooyenga is the president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, the main business advocacy organization for Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties.
23 Facts About Dale Kooyenga
1. 2.
Dale Kooyenga attended Chicago Christian High School and went on to attend Moraine Valley Community College.
3.
Dale Kooyenga played basketball at Moraine Valley and was recruited by Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he played NCAA Division III basketball and graduated with honors.
4.
Dale Kooyenga earned a bachelor's degree in 2000 and MBA from Marquette University in 2007.
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Dale Kooyenga continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in Civil Affairs Corps.
6.
Dale Kooyenga is married and a father of four children.
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Dale Kooyenga moved to Milwaukee in 2001, passed the Certified Public Accounting exam, and began working for accounting firm KPMG.
8.
Dale Kooyenga worked at KPMG as a senior manager until 2011.
9.
Dale Kooyenga then served as chief financial officer for Milwaukee-based information technology services and consulting firm Mpirik starting in January 2015, a role he served in until May 2017.
10.
In May 2017, Dale Kooyenga became chief financial officer for Stonehouse Water Technologies, LLC, a Milwaukee firm that engineers and manufactures water purification systems for residential homes, commercial buildings and farms.
11.
From June 2019 until the present day, Dale Kooyenga has served as a board member and consultant for Alligator Holdings, an early stage investor group that tries to bring products to market through strategic investments.
12.
Dale Kooyenga attended the United States Army's basic training, the Officer Candidate School and the Military Intelligence Officer Course.
13.
Dale Kooyenga was deployed to active duty in Iraq from January 2008 to November 2008.
14.
Dale Kooyenga still serves in the US Army Reserve and, in June 2022, was selected for the rank of lieutenant colonel.
15.
In Fall 2010, Dale Kooyenga was elected to represent the 14th District for the Wisconsin State Assembly.
16.
Dale Kooyenga was sworn into office on January 3,2011.
17.
In May 2017, Dale 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 and Republicans.
18.
Dale Kooyenga removed the sign because he thought it was inappropriate.
19.
Dale Kooyenga repaid the $30,000 to the state in July 2018.
20.
Dale Kooyenga announced his campaign for Wisconsin State Senate's 5th District in September 2017, seeking to fill the seat left vacant by Leah Vukmir, who was running for the US Senate.
21.
Dale Kooyenga argued that RCV would reduce polarization and extremism by removing incentives for legislators to cater to extremist elements within their parties.
22.
Dale Kooyenga introduced an amendment to the state constitution to return oversight of federal funding to the state legislature as well as legislation to clean up industrial pollutants from the Milwaukee Estuary.
23.
Dale Kooyenga noted that business leaders were "scared" of speaking out and feared retaliation from the Trump government.