Mark Gilfillan
TNTCX Project Manager
Tribal Liaison
Mark Gilfillan currently serves as Senior Tribal Liaison with the TNTCX. Mark holds a Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Restoration and Waste Management from Colorado Mesa University in addition to a Master of Jurisprudence in Federal Indian Law from the University of Tulsa College of Law. Mark is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, with Iowa Tribal ancestry and has extensive experience working with his own Tribe as well as Tribes and agencies across the United States.
Mark started his career in 1985 with the US Department of Energy as an environmental scientist covering a wide range of contaminant migration issues. Since then, he has held various positions within the private sector and state of Kansas, focused on environmental stewardship, notably Brownfields and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) compliance. During his time with the Sac and Fox Nation, Mark held the position of Tribal Gaming Chairman, overseeing various responsibilities including research on Tribal reserved rights and treaty history, NAGPRA compliance, cultural history preservation, museum management, and language preservation efforts. He also delivered an extensive Economic Development Plan to the Sac and Fox Nation and completed a Sovereignty Plan for the tribe.
Within USACE, Mark has served as the Tribal Liaison with the Sacramento District in addition to Regulatory Project Manager with the South Pacific Division, bringing invaluable support to Tribes throughout the region, USACE Headquarters, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, and the wider Department of Defense through training initiatives and regulatory compliance. In addition, Mark has served as the TNTCX Tribal Liaison for the Army, focusing on reuniting students from the Carlisle Indian School with their families and Tribes.
Mark resides in Grand Junction, Colorado, with his wife and their four children, and is honored to have fostered two Tribal children from the Sac and Fox Nation under the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Mark's personal interests include his Tribal culture, language preservation, as well as outdoor activities such as rafting, skiing, biking, camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing.