Dave Dempsey has helped shape conservation and Great Lakes policy for 26 years and is an author and co-author of five conservation books. He currently serves as Communications Director for Conservation Minnesota, a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dave has been active in environmental matters since 1982.  Past positions include:

  • Environmental advisor to Michigan Governor James J. Blanchard (1983-89).
  • Executive Director, Michigan Council on Environmental Quality (1989-90).
  • Program director at Clean Water Action (1991-1994).
  • Policy Director, Michigan Environmental Council (1994-1999). 
  • Member Great Lakes Fishery Commission (Presidential appointment, 1994-2001).
  • Communications Director, Conservation Minnesota (2006-Present).

Dave is a resident of the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. His book titles include:

  • Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a Conservation Leader, an environmental history of Michigan since its statehood in 1837, published by the University of Michigan Press in 2001;
  • On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century, published by Michigan State University Press in 2004.
  • A biography of Republican William G. Milliken, Michigan’s longest-serving governor and a champion of the environment, published by the University of Michigan Press in April 2006, and entitled William G. Milliken: Michigan’s Passionate Moderate.
  • Great Lakes for Sale: From Whitecaps to Bottlecaps, published by the University of Michigan Press in 2008.
  • The Waters of Michigan, co-authored with David Lubbers and published by the Michigan State University Press in 2008.
  • Superior Shores, a self-published novel, available in 2010.

In 2009, the Michigan Center for the Book, the Michigan Library Association and Sleeping Bear Press gave Dave the annual Michigan Author Award.

Dave has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University  (1977) and a master’s degree in resource development from Michigan State University (2001) and served from 1999-2004 as an adjunct instructor at MSU in environmental policy through the Department of Resource Development (now Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies). He is married to Jennifer Morris, a teacher with the Richfield Schools, and stepfather of two.


Contact Dave