Laura Clellan, who has led Colorado Parks and Wildlife as acting director since Nov. 25, has been named the sole finalist for the job. She was selected after a search that spanned several weeks and included around 150 candidates.
The state Department of Natural Resources said the Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission will hold a special virtual public meeting Feb. 23 to consider Clellan’s appointment. Comments to the commission can be submitted on the Engage CPW web page.
Clellan rose to the top because she has decades of leadership, CPW commissioner Dallas May said. She previously served as adjutant general and executive director of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; she has a degree in biology; and she achieved the rank of major general in the Colorado Army National Guard after overseeing 3,700 citizen soldiers and serving in Afghanistan, according to her resume.
DNR Director Dan Gibbs called on Clellan to step in as CPW acting director after Jeff Davis stepped down amid rumors he had been fired. Since then, Clellan has been CPW’s liaison with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after it demanded the agency give a complete accounting of its wolf reintroduction. In her communication, she pushed back on claims that the agency violated federal law when it sourced 15 wolves from British Columbia.
In her civilian life, Clellan was chief for leadership and employee development at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lakewood. She retired from her role with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in October.
Gaspar Perricone, a former CPW commissioner and chair of the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project, said two groups went through the original applicants and whittled them down to five. One group included stakeholders from outdoor recreation, agriculture, hunting and fishing, as well as wildlife conservation. The second was made up of CPW employees.
The top five applicants went to the commission for consideration on Jan. 29. Ten voting members read each application and interviewed each applicant before choosing Clellan.
Perricone said in a text he is thrilled with their choice. “Trying times call for steady hands and Director Clellan has provided them. Her leadership as interim director has courted the respect of the sportsmen community as well as CPW staff. We are pleased to see her remain at the helm and look forward to working with her in the future.”
Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, said Clellan has “certainly proven herself to be a capable leader in the breach that she filled, and we have nothing but high expectations.”
Gov. Jared Polis announced Monday he appointed Chris Sichko, a Colorado native, lifelong angler, sportsperson and economist, to fill the vacancy on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for a term expiring June 2027.
“Chris will bring both on-the-ground outdoor experience and a strong economic perspective to matters affecting wildlife, agriculture and conservation including years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Polis said. “Particularly in these tough budgetary times, Chris’s background in economics will help maximize use of resources and think entrepreneurially about improving recreational opportunities.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.