![A bald man wearing a dark collared shirt smiles while standing outdoors with greenery in the background.](https://ability-mt.s3.amazonaws.com/Board/_large/9652/Mike-Batista-headshot.webp)
Mike Batista
Board President
Mike Batista is the Government Affairs Director for AARP Montana. Mike leads AARP Montana's state and federal advocacy efforts to improve the health and financial well being of Montanans 50 and older.
He is the recipient of the state’s distinguished 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for his 34 years of outstanding leadership in public safety, having served as the Director of the Department of Corrections, Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation and as an intelligence supervisor for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Mike was selected to serve on an elite training team that helped local communities improve their intelligence collection and investigative response to domestic and international terrorism threats.
Mike is a Montana native from Great Falls.
He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University with a degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Mike and his wife Shelly have two sons.