Michael C. Collins
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Michael Collins was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of American Climate Partners (2022-2025), formerly Conserv/The Association of Conservation Real Estate (2006-2012), and the Center for Natural Capital (2012-2022).
Mike was the driving force and leader of the Rapidan Fish Passage Project, and the 2023 startup of the Southern Climate Restoration Solutions program with its flagship project, the Carbon Farming Partnership in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture and other subject matter experts to partner with landowners in Appalachia and across the South on strategies to rebuild their soil at depth for economic, productivity, and other benefits.
Mike was also Program Director of ACP’s StreamSweepers program, recipient of the 2014 Sanctioned Event of the Year from the American Canoe Association and a Commendation from the Virginia General Assembly, sponsored by Virginia Delegate Ed Scott and State Senator Emmett Hanger in 2015.
With four colleagues, Michael founded the forerunner of ACP, The Association of Conservation Real Estate – Conserv, in 2006. In 2009 Conserv partnered with the Rappahannock River Basin Commission and the Virginia Department of Forestry on several market-based conservation programs and projects.
From 2004-2009, he led the creation of a new planning department for the Town of Orange, Virginia. For his conservation work with the Town, in 2005, Mike received the Chairman’s Award from the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2002, Mike and Dr. Nick Evans formed Virginia Groundwater, LLC, a science-based well drilling firm that continues today as Center for Sustainable Groundwater (CSG). In 2000, he began working as a water resources consultant and led several hydrogeologic and EPA award winning source water protection studies. In 1998, he and his family opened Healthy Home, LLC, a sustainable goods general store in Charlottesville, to provide environmentally friendly construction supplies to the Charlottesville region. From 1990-1998, Mike worked as an Environmental Planner for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission in Charlottesville and led several groundwater, surface water, and sustainability projects and programs including the Rivanna River Basin Roundtable and the State of the Basin Report, the Interfaith Roundtable on Sustainability, and the Thomas Jefferson Sustainability Council and the Sustainability Accords of 1998. The Sustainability Council was selected as a Case Study of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. He began his career as a tenured science teacher with Culpeper County Public Schools.
Mike is a former member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a Class C contractor.
Mary Dennis
Administrative Manager
Mary Dennis lives Orange County, Virginia, where she and her husband have a small farm growing produce for market and seed stock for organic seed catalogs. For the previous 15 years, she worked in the nonprofit sector, most recently in administrative operations at the Pew Charitable Trusts and The Wilderness Society, both in Washington DC. In past lives, she also worked in client services for small technology companies in Northern Virginia and Ohio and, at the beginning of her career, managed an independent bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. She has a BA in English literature and creative writing from the Ohio State University, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and has visited all 50 states.