Michael Dillinger

Since his childhood, Mike Dillinger has been visiting national parks.  He fondly remembers multiple trips with his parents, siblings, and grandparents to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.  Growing up in North Dakota, Mike also spent many of his summers working near Teddy Roosevelt National Park.  Now, he is passing on that tradition to his own children through multiple family trips to the parks, with his favorite being the mule ride to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 

Mike is currently the Chief Legal Officer at Grassroots Carbon. He was previously senior legal counsel at Marathon Petroleum Corporation, the AVP of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Strategic Programs at USAA, and the VP of Sustainability, Environmental, and Permitting at NuStar Energy.

Mike has over 30 years of military service, including service in the Army National Guard, the active-duty Air Force, and the Air Force Reserve.  He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the University of Texas Environmental Science Institute, past President of the Association of Corporate Counsel South/Central Texas Chapter, and past Chair of the State Bar of Texas Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section. 

Mike’s education includes an LLM in Litigation Management from Baylor University School of Law, an LLM in Environmental Law from the George Washington University School of Law, a JD from the University of North Dakota School of Law, and a BS in Social Behavioral Sciences from the University of Mary.  Some of his certifications include the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certification, Society for Corporate Governance Certified Corporate Governance Professional Designation, being a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Certified Sustainability Professional, and holding the International Financial Reporting Standards Sustainability Accounting Credential (Level I and II).