The Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is appointed by our 10 Commissioners. The Executive Director is the Commission's chief executive officer as well as chief waterways conservation officer, and has charge of all activities under the jurisdiction of the Commission.
The Executive Director is a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board and Wild Resource Conservation Board, and an ex officio member of the Boating Advisory Board and the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Timothy D. Schaeffer assumed the duties of PFBC Executive Director on November 13, 2018. In addition to the roles listed above, Dr. Schaeffer is a member of the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board, is Chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Legislative and Federal Budget Committee, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Delaware River Watershed Conservation Collaborative.
Former Executive Directors and Date Appointed
Charles A. French
April 25, 1949
William Voigt Jr.
September 12, 1955
Albert M. Day
July 18, 1960
Robert J. Bielo
January 1, 1965
Ralph W. Abele
January 3, 1972
Edward R. Miller
June 1, 1987
Lawrence W. Hoffman
March 1, 1994
Peter A. Colangelo
October 3, 1994
Douglas J. Austen, Ph.D.
January 27, 2004
John A. Arway
March 2, 2010
