Navy Veteran and Financial Advisor Mike Dillender (R – Suffolk) Announces Campaign Bid To Flip Virginia’s 76th House of Delegates District

Suffolk, VA – Navy veteran and financial advisor Mike Dillender (R – Suffolk) announced his campaign for the 76th House of Delegates district. The following statement can be attributed to Mike Dillender (R – Suffolk), candidate for Virginia’s 76th House of Delegates District:

“I’ve served our country for over 25 years in uniform and now I am running for House of Delegates because our community is not being well served. As a veteran and financial planner, my first priorities will be to reopen businesses, take care of our Hampton Roads families, and ensure our shared values are protected. The 76th district deserves a leader with fresh ideas, not a worn out career politician.”

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About Mike:

Mike Dillender grew up in a blue collar family in a town of less than a thousand people in rural Southeastern Missouri. He attended a predominantly minority school system and is a first generation college graduate in his family. Mike graduated from Charleston, Missouri High School and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and his commission in the U.S. Navy in 1994.

Following terrorist attacks on American embassies in Africa in 1998, Mike was personally presented with the Meritorious Service Medal by then Secretary of Defense William Cohen for his role in planning, coordinating and executing the U.S. response during National Command Authority contingency operations. Mike served in Washington D.C. during the September 11th attacks and was then handpicked by Navy leadership to serve on a newly formed think-tank to develop and brief the Chief of Naval Operations on new strategies and initiatives for the Navy in the post 9/11 environment. In 2002, Mike earned his M.B.A. from George Washington University. He is also a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. 

In 2013, during Mike’s command leadership tours, he led the largest Navy Commander command, Coastal Riverine Squadron Four, which deployed over 550 personnel to simultaneously conduct security operations over four continents. Following that assignment, Mike served as an advanced level strategic planner for the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) where he traveled throughout the world to ensure all geographical military command headquarters were functioning with optimal organizational effectiveness. 

In 2019, Mike retired as a Captain from the Navy and transitioned into his second career as a financial advisor. He started a small business in Chesapeake, Virginia where he works as a financial planner coaching active duty service members, retired military, federal employees, and others in their pursuit of lifelong financial security. Mike is also a very active member at Grace Presbyterian (PCA) Church serving in key church leadership positions including Deacon and Ruling Elder since 2014.

 Mike resides in Suffolk with his wife Susannah, who is a neonatologist, and their two school aged children, Michael Jr. and Mary Ruth.