Jeff Dillen

Jeff Dillen is one of two Deputy General Counsels for NOAA's Office of General Counsel and oversees the legal work of a broad range of NOAA programs, principally the National Ocean Service, the National Weather Service, and NOAA's research and satellite programs.  Mr. Dillen's appointment as Deputy General Counsel in February 2016 followed a decade of service leading a Section of NOAA's Office of General Counsel specializing in legal issues related to hydrographic services and ocean and coastal stewardship.

Mr. Dillen has over 20 years of environmental law experience.  Prior to coming to NOAA, he spent nearly four years in the Natural Resources Section of the Department of Justice, defending federal agencies in suits arising under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other natural resources-related statutes.  He began his career at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, a private law firm based in Minneapolis, as part of the firm's environment and regulated industry practice group. 

Mr. Dillen received his B.S. in environmental resource management from the Pennsylvania State University in 1993 and joint degrees from the University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.) and the University of Wisconsin Institute for Environmental Studies (M.S. in land resources) in 1997.