After teaching political science for 30 years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and serving the people of Nevada in the State Senate for 20 years, Dina Titus is now representing Nevada’s Third Congressional District in her first term in the United States House of Representatives. 

At the beginning of the 111th Congress, Dina was named to the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  As the Representative of one of the nation’s fastest growing regions, Dina brings a knowledge and deep understanding of the critical need to rebuild America and invest in our country’s aging infrastructure while spurring job creation across Nevada and the nation.  She also earned a seat on the Education and Labor Committee, where her experience as a life-long educator will make her a valuable member of the committee.  And as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, Dina will work to ensure the safety of Nevadans and visitors to the world-class tourist destinations that attract people from across the globe.  In addition, Dina was selected Regional Whip by her colleagues, a position that has her working closely with Majority Whip James Clyburn to build consensus for the Democratic agenda and pass legislation that will take America in a new direction.

As a Member of Congress, Dina Titus will continue to fight at the federal level for Nevadans and build on her record of success at the state level.   A lifelong public servant and educator, she has sought to protect Nevada’s most vulnerable citizens – children, seniors, and the disabled.  As Minority Leader of the State Senate for 15 years, Dina sponsored legislation to create Nevada’s Check Up program to provide health care for 25,000 uninsured children.  She fought for tougher regulation of nursing homes and sponsored a successful bill to double penalties for offenders who commit crimes against disabled persons.  In recognition of her strong advocacy, the Dina Titus Estates for low-income, physically disabled adults was named in her honor.

A leader on renewable energy, Dina pushed Nevada out front, spearheading efforts to establish a renewable portfolio standard requiring utility companies to acquire a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources; a net meeting program to allow individuals to generate their own power and sell the excess back to the utility companies; and tax incentives for companies that develop solar and wind energy.  In Congress, Dina will continue to focus on renewable energy that is critical to creating jobs in Southern Nevada and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

As an educator, Dina understands the value of a quality education for our nation’s children.  She has fought to maintain smaller class sizes and sponsored legislation for full-day kindergarten. 

Dina will work across the aisle in the spirit of bipartisanship to address the challenges facing our nation.  As Minority Leader, Dina worked successfully with her Republican colleagues in the State Senate to protect Nevada families against rising property taxes by capping assessed value increases at 3 percent.  She successfully built a bipartisan coalition to protect environmentally sensitive Red Rock Canyon, the Third District’s greatest natural treasure, from encroaching development.  Dina also led efforts to crack down on sexual predators with legislation increasing penalties for sex offenders and prohibiting registered sex offenders from living near schools and parks.

Dina grew up in the small town of Tifton, Georgia, in a close-knit family that instilled in her the value of community involvement and introduced her to politics at an early age.  Dina graduated from the College of William and Mary and went on to earn a Master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a Doctorate from Florida State University in political science.

After teaching at North Texas State University for a year, Dina moved to Nevada to teach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where the past 30 years she has taught some of Nevada’s top leaders in business and politics.  Her first-hand experience in the State Legislature has given her an insight into the legislative process that allows her to bring a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to the political theory she teaches.

Dina is married to her husband of nearly 30 years, Thomas C. Wright.  A professor of Latin American History, Dr. Wright recently received the prestigious UNLV Distinguished Professor award in 2008, and his latest book, State Terrorism in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights, received the Frank F. McGann Memorial Prize for outstanding book on Latin America.

As a scholar and legislator, Dina has a particular interest in Greece, the birthplace of democracy and homeland of her grandfather, Arthur Costandinos Cathones, after whom she is named.  Dina honored the life and memory of her grandfather who came to America through Ellis Island in 1911, as well as her Greek-American heritage by purchasing a brick with his name on it at the restored Ellis Island.

A noted non-fiction writer, Dina is the author of Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics (University of Nevada Press, Revised Edition 2001) and Battle Born: Federal-State Relations in Nevada During the Twentieth Century (Kendall-Hunt, 1989). She has also published numerous scholarly articles on American, Nevada, and atomic politics.  Dina is internationally known for her expertise in the history and policies related to nuclear power, weaponry, and waste, as well as her knowledge of the popular lore of “Atomic culture.”  Her achievements in the field were recognized with the naming of the Dina Titus Reading Room in the Atomic Testing Museum on the Las Vegas campus of the Desert Research Institute.