Board Member Michael D. Mankowski was appointed to the Board by Governor JB Pritzker in July 2023. Throughout his career, Michael Mankowski has focused on public service and environmental issues. He previously served as the Director of the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. As Director, Mr. Mankowski oversaw the regulation of over 1,500 oil and gas operators and 28 underground natural gas storage fields. He assisted in drafting the Illinois Underground Natural Gas Storage Safety Act and drafted amendments which helped to modernize the Department's Oil and Gas Act Regulations. Prior to IDNR, Mr. Mankowski worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General's Office. While in the AGO's Springfield Civil Environmental Bureau, he represented multiple state agencies in numerous significant cases dealing with air, water, and land pollution as well as natural resource damages and agency permitting matters. Mr. Mankowski has been active in the Illinois State Bar Association serving on the Environmental Law and Mineral Law Section Councils as well as the Strategic Marketing and the Marketing and Communications Committees.
Mr. Mankowski received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources from the Ohio State University. He received his Juris Doctorate with a Certificate in Energy and Environmental Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.