An accomplished public servant from Northwest Indiana, State Senator Karen Tallian brings a wealth of experience to the Statehouse.
A partner with the law firm Eberhard & Gastineau in Portage, Tallian was appointed in December 2005 to fill the unexpired term of former State Senator Rose Antich-Carr and was elected to a full term in November of 2006.
Prior to joining the Senate, Tallian served her community in a variety of capacities including serving as counsel to the Porter County Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Portage Township Trustees and the Portage Fire Department Merit Board.
Tallian was an adjunct professor at Valparaiso University Law School and taught insurance law. She has also served as president and board member of the Portage Parks Foundation, president of the Porter County League of Women Voters and the Director on the State Board of the League of Women Voters.
Throughout her law career, Tallian has represented governmental entities and has worked extensively on water and sewer issues, zoning matters, municipal contracts and drafting ordinances. Tallian has experience in both state and federal court and holds law licenses in both Indiana and Illinois.
In the State Senate, Tallian has taken a leading role in issues important to working families, including labor issues, health care, property tax reform and environmental protection. She serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Corrections, Criminal & Civil Matters and is a member of the Health & Provider Services; Pensions & Labor; and Utilities & Regulatory Affairs committees. She is also a member of the state's Environmental Quality Service Council, which has oversight of much of the state's environmental policy.
A 1972 graduate of the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and psychology, the senator's post graduate work includes an associate's degree from Chicago's Harrington Institute of Design. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Valparaiso University School of Law in 1990.
Senator Tallian resides in Portage where she raised her three children. Mike is a Portage firefighter, Christopher works in Chicago and attends school and daughter Aimee is working in Montana for the National Parks Service.
Click here for a printable version of Senator Tallian's bio. (pdf format)
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