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Gordon K. Durnil Attorney At Law (Indiana #4647-49) P.O. Box 90106 Indianapolis, IN 46290-0106 317-846-0401 E-mail: gdurnil@aol.com
GORDON K. DURNIL
A Brief Resume
Gordon Durnil was admitted to the Indiana and Federal Bars in 1965. His early practice dealt with typical family and small business matters, as a deputy prosecuting attorney, and as an elected judge of a small claims court. Later he concentrated more on governmental and administrative law. He also practices in the areas of charitable, campaign, and environmental law. Since retiring from the International Joint Commission, his practice was primarily in the areas of probate law and alternative dispute resolution. He has more than thirty years experience in resolving disputes between individuals, organizations and governments. He is recognized internationally as a neutral facilitator who is able to elicit all aspects of a dispute and then effectively move the parties toward a workable agreement. Durnil has received special training as a civil mediator, as a mediator for educational disputes, and he is recognized as an international expert relative to resolving environmental disputes between nations. Durnil has served as a Deputy Marion County Prosecutor and Deputy Indiana Attorney General. He serves on the Environmental Crimes Task Force (2005-2007) created by the Indiana General Assembly to delineate environmental crimes in Indiana.
Durnil earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from the Indiana University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science Degree from the Indiana University School of Business, majoring in Marketing. He successfully completed training in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Advanced Civil Mediation by the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum and he is a Certified Professional Civil Mediator. He received additional training from the Justice Center of Atlanta, Inc. in mediation and conflict management for educational disputes. His successful career experiences include mediation, arbitration, environmental consultation, marketing, personnel management, program management, small business management, planning, political management, government at the local, state, national and international levels, and the general practice of law. He excels at planning, organization, and problem solving.
He is the author of three books. His first, The Making of a Conservative Environmentalist, Indiana University Press, 1995, received positive international comment from many reviewers, including the New York Times, Montreal Gazette, etc. The New York Times said Durnil advanced “one of the single boldest environmental policy ideas of the 1990's.” The Making of a Conservative environmentalist had two printings in hardback and one printing in paperback. A second book of nonfiction, Is America Beyond Reform? (Sligo Press-1997) also received good reviews. A third book, Throwing Chairs and Raising Hell: Politics in the Bulen Era, Guild Press, 1999 was published in conjunction with the Bulen Symposium on American Politics, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Durnil is Co-Chairman of the symposium. He also has a chapter in a 1999 book published by Island Press, Protecting Public Health & the Environment: Implementing the Precautionary Principle. He continues to speak throughout the United States and Canada on his reflections of governmental misdirection in environmental protection before groups that are academic, scientific, and public policy oriented. Durnil makes the case that too many resources are dedicated to remediation, too little to prevention. He promotes eliminating cultural disputes and finding common ground to create an agenda or the environment that will lead to environmental success without economic distress. In 2006 Durnil was presented the Pioneer of Precaution Award by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, and also sponsored by Science Environmental Health Network and Environmental Research Foundation for his early work on the Precautionary Principle.
From 1989 to 1994, Durnil served as the United States Chairman of the International Joint Commission, United States and Canada. On July 21, l989, President George Bush nominated Durnil to be a Commissioner on the International Joint Commission. The United States Senate confirmed the appointment on October 7, 1989. Durnil took the Commission oath and was elected Chairman of the United States Section on October 11, 1989. He became Senior Commissioner effective July 8, l992. He left the Commission on April 7, 1994. The International Joint Commission is a binational organization created by Treaty in l909. The Commission has three members appointed by the President of The United States and three members appointed by The Governor General of Canada in Council. The treaty provides the principles and mechanisms to help resolve disputes and to prevent future ones, primarily those concerning water quality, air quality and water quantity along the entire boundary between Canada and the United States. During his tenure with the International Joint Commission, Durnil became an expert and a world leader on such questions as shared water resources, multi-jurisdictional approaches to water and air pollution, the problems posed to human health as a result of exposure to persistent toxic substances, remedial action plans to restore severely degraded areas, and multinational exercises in environmental education. At his initiative, the International Joint Commission issued several reports regarding persistent toxic substances and human health that have resulted in vigorous positive international discussion on strategies for the elimination of the most onerous of those substances. In 1994 he received the prestigious National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award.
He served as Head Of Delegation, for the International Joint Commission, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (June 4-13, 1992). On June 9, 1992, Durnil addressed the Plenary Session of the UNCED Conference (the largest gathering of world leaders in history at that time), describing the International Joint Commission as a model for use throughout the world in arbitrating and mediating inter-governmental environmental concerns and disputes.
Durnil has dedicated many years to public service as a Republican campaign manager and as Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party (1981-1989 - a full time position). Of the 41 statewide campaigns in which he had a management role since 1968, 36 were winners. He served as Indiana Republican State Chairman longer than anyone in history. As a campaign manager and/or party chairman, he has been responsible for the supervision of a paid staff as large as 40 employees, and the supervision of tens of thousands of volunteers in each election cycle. He has drafted multi-million dollar campaign budgets and has been the premier Indiana Republican fundraiser, responsible for raising in excess of $32 million. He is known for the drafting of good plans and for solid management and execution of such plans. He served as Chairman of the Marion County, Indiana Election Board and is a member of the three-member Indiana State Recount Commission (1994-2005). He also served on the Executive Committee of the Republican National Committee where he formally nominated Lee Atwater to be Republican National Chairman in January 1989. In 1997 he moderated a panel before Republican leaders from thirteen midwestern states, thought to be the first formal session on the environment at a national Republican gathering. He has been a delegate to six Republican National Conventions, attending eight. He has attended all Indiana Republican State Conventions since 1964, serving as convention chairman in 1982, 1984, 1986 & 1988 and as permanent chairman in 1992, 1994, 2002 and 2004. He has been the “drafter” of the Indiana Republican Party Platform on several occasions, including 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. He was the Campaign Manager of the two successful gubernatorial campaigns by Governor Bob Orr and served as Campaign Manager for Senator Richard Lugar and numerous other candidates. He was named Honorary Chairman of the Indiana Republican State Convention in 2006.
Durnil extended his management skills to the international level. He led a successful effort to streamline the International Joint Commission’s bi-national office by reducing operational costs, thereby making more funds available for scientific programs. He also led the successful efforts to restructure international boards officially established by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. During his tenure he made recommendations that were formerly accepted by the governments of the United States and Canada. He has been responsible to the United States Congress for the appropriation and administration of the United States I.J.C. Section’s budget.
He also has strong experience in the fields of advertising and public relations. He has the proven ability to attract qualified people to serve with him, and he willingly delegates authority to those under his direction. He excels at developing strategy, making decisions, and at employing tactics necessary to achieve success in whatever endeavor he undertakes. He also has excelled at bringing diverse views to the table, even at the international level, which has often resulted in those differing interests (such as industry, government, environmental organizations and the public) working more closely together toward a common goal. His writing and speaking skills are well honed.
He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association. His community activities include many years as a charter member of the Board of Directors and Finance Chairman for the Indiana Ronald McDonald House. Durnil serves on the Advisory Board of The Environmental Fund for Indiana, on the Advisory Board of the national organization, Taxpayers For Common Sense, and he is a Fellow of the Center for Small Business and the Environment in Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for The Sundance Journal, a planned television documentary series on the environment. He was twice designated a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governors Otis R. Bowen and Robert D. Orr.
The Indianapolis Manual High School Alumni Association selected Durnil as the Alumnus of the Year for 2000. Manual has one of the largest active high school alumni associations in the nation. Durnil served as president of the Manual Alumni Board in 1968-1969.
He is listed in Who’s Who in The World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in American Politics. He is married, the father of two and the grandfather of two. He was born in Indianapolis on February 20, 1936.