Dean Browning was born in Kentucky and earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Denison University in Granville, Ohio and then earned his master of science degree in industrial management with a concentration in finance from Georgia Tech. He settled in the Lehigh Valley in 1979 after landing a job with Air Products and Chemicals. He later held executive level positions with the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of the Lehigh Valley, Harvel Plastics and New World Aviation. Dean retired in 2019 after a successful career of almost 40 years. Dean and his wife Cheryl celebrated their 32nd anniversary in December and reside in South Whitehall Township in Lehigh County along with their three dogs.
A former Lehigh County Commissioner, Browning stood up to public employee union bosses and saved taxpayers nearly $7 million a year by initiating a pay freeze and reforming the county compensation and pension system, while reducing the deficit by 65%. A proudly pro-life and pro-2nd amendment Christian conservative, Dean spent 15 years serving on the Board and supporting the Allentown Rescue Mission, which helps rescue, rehabilitate and restore homeless men through Christ-centered programs based on accountability and compassion.