Meet the API Team
Dan McConchie
CEO
Dan McConchie grew up in rural Indiana as the oldest of four boys. He joined the Army
National Guard on his 17th birthday and served for nine years in the infantry and military police while simultaneously going to college in Springfield, Missouri and then to graduate school outside Chicago, Illinois.
After graduating magna cum laude, Dan worked in the non-profit sector as a public policy expert for 18 years before deciding to run for elected office and becoming an Illinois State Senator.
In 2007, Dan was in a hit-and-run accident that left him with a spinal cord injury and no use of his legs. Undeterred from his quest to make the world a better place, he was the first paraplegic to win a state-level office in Illinois when he ran for the Illinois Senate in 2016. There he championed a myriad of issues including expanded accessibility for the disabled.
After serving nearly a decade in office, Senator McConchie started the Accessibility Policy Institute to take his quest to champion accessibility rights nationwide. Most recently, he was appointed to the Air Carrier Access Act Advisory Committee to advise on issues related to the needs of passengers with disabilities in air travel.
Tijana Arbutina
Project Coordinator
Tijana graduated summa cum laude from Miami University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and Global Politics and received a Minor in Criminology. Her undergraduate experience includes internships at two law firms, holding an executive leadership position in the pre-law society, and serving on the University’s community standards board as a student representative.
Her career began in former Illinois State Senator Dan McConchie’s district office. In this role, Tijana managed constituent engagement in the 26th district, conducted disability-related research to support the creation of bills in the 104th General Assembly, and supported the operation of district communications and special events.
In April 2025, she joined the Accessibility Policy Institute, contributing to the growth of the organization in its early stage. Her work at API consists of policy research, outreach, and development of model legislation.