Dan Collins has been an elected trustee with the Skokie Firefighter Pension Board since 2000. Dan has served the board as a trustee-at-large, secretary and currently as president. Once elected as board president, Dan made it a priority to contract with a third party accounting firm, actuarial service and outside counsel. Dan then commissioned studies utilized to effectively change funding policy which has kept their fund on a positive course.
Mr. Collins began his full-time firefighting career with the Village of Oak Park before accepting a position with the Skokie Fire Department in 1999. In 2007, Dan was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Dan is a proud member of IAFF Local 3033 and the AFFI. He has been a licensed paramedic since 1996, is certified in all rescue disciplines and has served as a member of the MABAS Division 3 Technical Rescue Team.
Mr. Collins began teaching the Retirement Coordinator course with the IPPFA in 2015. Dan believes that education is the key to success with regards to pension related public policy. He further believes that all American workers deserve a pension and real retirement security.
Dan’s interest in pension security and employee rights began while he was working his way through the University of Illinois at Chicago for a respondent workers compensation firm. While performing research and covering the Chicago Industrial Commission call, Dan realized that public safety workers were not giving themselves enough credit for the difficult jobs they perform. Dan noted that public safety workers often downplayed the severity of their injuries and the toll the job took on them and their families. Dan became a staunch advocate long before his own public safety career began.
Dan is a lifelong Chicagoan and resides with his wife, Julie, and their two children in the southwest side neighborhood of Beverly. In 2009, Dan and Julie adopted their children, Kirsten and Danny, at the ages of 13 and 9 after a period of fostering. The Collins family is actively involved with several foster child charities. Their hope is to give as many adversely affected children of the foster care system a real chance at success.
