Tom Mulliken

Thomas S. Mullikin currently serves as Director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, where he functions as chief administrator responsible for the management and supervision of the agency’s five divisions. A distinguished environmental attorney, author, professor, and award-winning documentarian, Dr. Mullikin’s environmental and energy law practice has taken him to every continent on Earth representing numerous multinational corporate clients and the United Nations.

In his work with the UN, Mullikin has assisted in drafting chemical laws for the Republic of Moldova, reviewed and drafted recommendations for Sierra Leone’s proposed Constitution, and assessed legal best practices for the Maldives. He was recognized by the Fijian Permanent Secretary of Lands and Mineral Resources for leading a team of experts on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme–American Bar Association (UNDP–ABA) while serving as a liaison to the Fijian government in drafting expansive comments and recommendations for legislation aimed at protecting the Pacific Island nation’s rich mineral resources.

Dr. Mullikin has had an impressive military career, retiring in 2018 as Major General/Commander of the S.C. State Guard and President of the State Guard Association of the United States. He served as Special Assistant to the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions, overseeing the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and the four 9/11 co-defendants, and as an International Legal Officer and Trial Counsel with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps. His military decorations include the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal, U.S. Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, U.S. Army Reserve Components Overseas Ribbon, Exceptional Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Medal of Merit, Commendation Medal, and the RAIDER–Rapid Assistance in Disaster & Emergency Relief Pin. He was a Certified U.S. Army Master Fitness Trainer and Self Defense Instructor (6th Degree Black Belt) and recognized as an Honorary Green Beret by Special Forces (S.C. Chapter). He was also awarded Airborne parachute jump badges from Germany, Serbia, Croatia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Royal Laotian Parachutist Badge.

In the academic realm, Dr. Mullikin served as a research professor at Coastal Carolina University (School of Coastal Environment), a professor of practice at the University of South Carolina (Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management), Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, and a visiting professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito – Galapagos campus. He also served as the Director of the Mullikin Institute for Environmental Law and Policy at Coastal Carolina University.

Dr. Mullikin was the founding chair of the gubernatorially established S.C. Floodwater Commission and served as a member of the S.C. Energy Advisory Council. He was co-chair of the International Environmental Law Committee of the American Bar Association, membership officer of LAWASIA Environmental Law Committee, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He was chairman of Global Eco Adventures and director of the GAIAS Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness and support for research, inclusion, education, and cultural activities in the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Basin.

To bring context to his work as a senior environmental attorney, Dr. Mullikin has studied environmental issues worldwide, logging certified SCUBA dives in every ocean on Earth and summiting more than 20 mountains across all continents. In recognition of his global environmental work, he has been inducted as a Fellow in the Explorers Club (New York) and in the Royal Geographical Society (London) and has been engaged as a “National Geographic Expert” with the National Geographic Society. As a sixth degree Black Belt, Mullikin has been inducted into the S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame, the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame (London).

In addition to his numerous awards and military decorations, Dr. Mullikin has received a commendation for heroic action from the State of South Carolina and is a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest award presented by the state’s governor. Together with his wife, Virginia Ann, they received “National Civic Leader Parents of the Year” honors in 2019. They reside in Camden, South Carolina, and have four children: Mary Elizabeth, Alexandra (Tomlinson) and husband Brant, Thomas Jr. and wife Alicia, and Margaret Charles (Whitney) and husband Will. They also have five grandchildren: Anna Gibbs Tomlinson, Baylor Davis Tomlinson, William English Whitney IV, Thomas Stowe Mullikin III, and Charles Theodore Whitney.