Rep. Dan Miller's Biography

As the eldest child of immigrant parents, Dan was the first member of his family born in America. Raised by a single mom from an early age, finances were often challenging. Even so, his family instilled in him a strong appreciation and recognition of the special opportunities America offers. As a result, Dan has made public service an important part of his life. 

He enlisted in the Army National Guard after high school. While his military service was cut short due to injury, he found another way to engage in service. As a Team Leader in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, he led a team of young people working on community projects across the Mid-Atlantic. Dan earned undergraduate degrees in education and history and became a teacher. He later graduated with a law degree from Catholic University, where he received two community service awards, chaired its public interest auction, and served as executive editor of its communications journal. Upon passing the bar, Dan decided to serve the community again as a public defender focusing on juveniles and later as a county solicitor where he worked to make sure kids were safe in their homes and received a proper education. 

Dan and his wife Kim moved to Mt. Lebanon where he joined the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. In 2011, he was awarded the Medal of Merit for his attempt to save the life of a 3-year-old child from a devastating house fire. He went on to be elected as a municipal commissioner and has served the community as a board member of such local institutions as Outreach Teen and Family Center, the Center for Theater Arts, Carnegie Library, and the Hollywood Theater in Dormont. 

Dan was elected to the House of Representatives in 2013. In previous terms he served as a member of the Education, Labor and Industry, Judiciary and Human Services committees and on the following caucuses: Steel, Government Reform, Early Childhood Education, Equality, Autism and Intellectual Disabilities, and Fire/EMS. In 2018, he was elected by his peers to be chair of the Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation and in 2020 he became Caucus Chair of the Democratic Caucus. Two year later, he was elected Whip of the Democratic Caucus when Democrats became the majority party in the state House.

As state representative, Dan has received awards for his advocacy for people with disabilities from Achieva, The Peal Center, the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association, the Pittsburgh Local Task Force, Autism Connection, the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, and the Arc of Pennsylvania, and he has been awarded a lifetime membership in the PTA and an advocacy award from the United Steelworkers.