Dan Debicella grew up in Bridgeport and Shelton. His father, Cal, was a policeman in Bridgeport and his Mom, Maggie, is a secretary in the federal judicial system. He graduated from Shelton High School and was the first person in his family to attend college full time.
Dan Debicella is serving his second term as the State Senator from Connecticut’s 21st District, which includes Stratford, Shelton, Monroe, and Seymour. As a State Senator, he has successfully used his business and community experience to have a positive impact on Connecticut and the communities he represents.
Dan is a fiscal conservative who has co-authored “no tax increase” budgets in both 2007 and 2009. He believes in a small, efficient government because it is individual people and small businesses – not big government – that create jobs and improve the quality of life for families in Connecticut. He holds moderate positions on social issues, supporting a woman’s right to choose and state funding of stem cell research.
During his two terms in the State Senate, Dan authored a number of laws that are improving the quality of life for Connecticut families, including:
- Job Creation Tax Credits. Dan co-authored legislation that encourages job creation by giving tax credits to Connecticut businesses that create 10 or more jobs.
- Anti-Dumping Environmental Legislation. Dan authored a state law to protect families across Connecticut by prohibiting the dumping of large quantities of asbestos-containing materials near residential neighborhoods without permission from local elected officials.
- Funding for Education. Working with Governor Rell, Dan supported a budget that brought 10-20% increases in state aid for education to each town in his district.
Dan has led a successful business career, from management consulting, to running a small business to working for a Fortune 500 company. He spent five years as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co., where he advised Fortune 500 companies on sales and marketing issues. He also ran his own small Internet business, Textbooks Online, during the high tech boom of the late 1990’s.
Dan is also involved with numerous community organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement for Western Connecticut, the Board of Directors of the Kennedy Center in Trumbull, and the Board of Incorporators of both the Shelton/Derby Boys & Girls Club and the Birmingham Group. He is a lifelong member of St. Lawrence Parish in Shelton.
Dan graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Finance and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in Boston, graduating in the top 5% of his class.
Dan lives in Shelton with his wife Alexandra, who is pursuing a PhD in Strategic Management.
