Indiana education choice advocate partners with Catholic diocese to expand options for students

St. John Bosco School, which serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade in Hammond, Indiana, is one of 20 schools in the Catholic Diocese of Gary upon which education choice advocate Dan Kozlowski is focused.

Editor’s note: This article about Dan Kozlowski, regional director for the Northwest Indiana Initiative of the Big Shoulders Fund, appeared Sunday on nwi.com.

As Sister Mary Jo Sobieck took the field to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game, the world watched.

And those who didn’t catch her opening pitch live that summer day of 2018 likely saw it after the video of her throwing the pitch down the middle went viral. No one was prouder than Dan Kozlowski — the person behind the video, which eventually led to a nomination at the 2019 ESPY Awards for “best viral moment.”

Kozlowski, who considers himself the “biggest” White Sox fan, worked in fundraising at the time, serving as vice president of advancement at Marian Catholic High School. As part of the school’s 60th anniversary celebration, he collaborated with the White Sox to have someone representing the school throw the first pitch before the game.

The rest is history.

Although the pitch seen around the world is one of Kozlowski’s most visible career moments, it’s just one of many impactful moments the now 35-year-old Winfield resident has had while working to better the lives of students in Northwest Indiana.

Kozlowski, who currently serves as regional director for the Northwest Indiana Initiative of the Big Shoulders Fund, collaborates with the leadership of the Diocese of Gary to ensure that the 20 Catholic schools in Northwest Indiana have the resources they need to be successful.

The goal, he says, is to elevate the quality of Catholic schools and improve their long-term viability through access to technology, curricular resources and instructional and data coaching.

“I work directly with the principals at all 20 schools — 17 elementary and three high schools — on any support they need,” he said.

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BY Special to NextSteps