Contact: John Culclasure, Central Appalachian States Manager
On May 30, the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries appointed Ryan Brown as the Executive Director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF).
Brown is a committed hunter and angler and has an extensive background in natural resources policy. Brown worked for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) after graduating from law school and later represented the DCR and the DGIF while working at the Office of the Attorney General. Brown also worked directly for the DGIF as the Legislative and Policy Manager where he worked closely with the Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. After leaving the DGIF, Brown served on the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Delegate James Edmunds said, “Ryan Brown is an excellent choice to lead the agency. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position, and I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in the Sportsmen’s Caucus to serve the sportsmen and women of the Commonwealth.”
Brown takes over from Acting Executive Director Gary Martel and succeeds Bob Duncan who served as Executive Director for 11 years.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
