Dina McIlhenny

Finance Director

Dina McIlhenny’s love of numbers has taken her all over Texas. Armed with an accounting degree from Texas Tech, Dina has worked in all facets of finance in the non-profit world including conducting audits, fundraising and governance.

“TALT is growing,” Dina, a lifelong Texan, said. “It’s exciting to be involved with an organization that is creating the foundation for generations to come. I’m looking forward to helping establish the organizational framework that will allow TALT to move to the next level.”

Dina had been searching for an opportunity with a non-profit, but was selective, knowing that she needed to appreciate its mission. “Working for a cause bigger than our selves is a gift,” she said.

The level of professionalism and commitment demonstrated by both TALT’s staff and the board sealed the deal.

“Everyone involved in TALT wants to build the organization the right way,” Dina said. “They understand that the organization must be sustainable to fulfill the charge of holding conservation easements in perpetuity.”

TALT is her first foray into conservation, but the elegant solution offered by conservation easements piqued her interest.

“I’ve witnessed the disappearance of open space, but never realized that there was a financial tool available that could help stop land from being broken up,” she said. “Conservation easements are exciting because they, through estate planning, can make a difference financially as well as ecologically.”

While Dina wasn’t born to the land, she recognizes the role that ranching and open space land play in the collective Texas experience. She also brings the perspective of an urban Texan to the table.

“Although TALT works with landowners, we can’t ignore the rest of Texas,” she said. “To be successful, our message has to resonate with people who don’t have big properties. We have to be able to communicate the value of our mission to everyone who calls Texas home.”

Dina McIlhenny
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