TCN Civic Engagement Fellow · 2026 Cohort
Mike Tilden
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran · IBEW Local 1245
Northern California & Northern Nevada
Service
USMC Veteran
Home
N. California / N. Nevada
Project
Workforce Pipeline
Focus Area
Healthy Civic Culture
About Mike
A Marine Corps veteran working at the intersection of labor, workforce development, and civic engagement.
Mike Tilden is a Marine Corps veteran and Union Business Representative with IBEW Local 1245, working at the intersection of labor, workforce development, and civic engagement. He serves on the Executive Board of the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council and as Chair of the IBEW 1245 Veterans Committee, where he leads efforts to help veterans transition into meaningful careers while staying connected to a continued sense of service.
His work is grounded in a simple idea: when veterans are connected to opportunity and community, they do not just succeed — they strengthen the institutions and communities around them.
A Southern California native, Mike is a devoted Los Angeles Kings, Dodgers, and Lakers fan and an avid animal lover, bringing the same loyalty and energy to his personal life as he does to his work.
The Initiative
Veterans to Workforce & Civic Leadership Pipeline
Connecting transitioning service members to union apprenticeships and civic engagement through targeted outreach, hands-on workshops, and a practical resource toolkit.
Mike’s initiative develops a Veterans to Workforce and Civic Leadership Pipeline designed to connect veterans to union career pathways while strengthening their role in community life.
Through targeted outreach and hands-on workshops, the project helps veterans translate military experience into stable careers and meaningful civic engagement. The goal is to pilot a practical, scalable model that supports long-term economic opportunity, civic participation, and community resilience across Central and Northern California and Northern Nevada.
Focus Area Healthy Civic Culture
Mike’s pipeline connects to TCN’s focus on Healthy Civic Culture. Stable careers and rooted civic participation help veterans become long-term anchors of their communities. By building the bridge between service, work, and civic life, the project strengthens one of the quiet preconditions for democratic resilience: economic security paired with community ties.
Follow the Fellowship
One of five veterans building civic action in their communities.
Mike is one of five veterans in TCN’s inaugural Civic Engagement Fellowship cohort. Follow the full cohort as they build community-based civic initiatives across the country.