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CONSERVING WILDLIFE
- SERVING PEOPLE -
Administration Information
Office of the Director
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
The Department is created and placed under the direction and supervision of the Commission in W.S. 23-1-401. The responsibilities of the Department are defined in W.S. 23-1-103. The Department is charged with providing..."an adequate and flexible system for the control, management, protection, and regulation of all Wyoming wildlife."
Scott Talbott
Director
Scott worked on the family ranch, felled timber and sheared sheep until graduation from college when he pursued his lifelong dream of becoming a game warden. In the spring of 1985, he began his career with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department as an upland game bird/waterfowl habitat technician at Ocean Lake. He worked in various capacities including habitat and access construction crew, bird farm technician, elk feeder and special deputy. Scott was appointed as damage control warden in Casper in 1988 and promoted to Newcastle game warden in 1989. He served as a wildlife investigator in Casper prior to being appointed the regional wildlife supervisor in Green River. In 1997, he transferred to Casper and served as the regional supervisor until being promoted to his most recent position of Assistant Chief, Wildlife Division in December of 2003. These responsibilities included the administration and oversight of the Department's wildlife management program, wildlife law enforcement, trophy game conflict resolution, hunting and fishing access, wildlife disease surveillance, the bird farm programs, and wildlife damage management. Scott has served the wildlife and people of the State of Wyoming for 26 years.
Scott spends his spare time hunting and fishing with his two sons Payden and Luke. He enjoys training horses and going on backcountry pack trips in the remote mountains of Wyoming. He remains actively involved in the family's ranching operation near Laramie, Wyoming.
John Kennedy
Deputy Director (Internal Operations)
John Kennedy started with the department in 2003 as Services Division Chief. After 6 years in that position, he promoted into the deputy director position (internal operations), with the retirement of Gregg Arthur. John came to Wyoming from Arizona, where he spent 12 years in various positions with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Those positions included habitat branch chief, project evaluation program supervisor, regional habitat program manager, and regional habitat specialist. During the last 15 years, John has served on numerous committees of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He currently chairs the Association's committee that focuses on state-federal agency coordination. John was recognized by the WGFD with the Director's Award in 2005. John graduated from the National Conservation Leadership Institute in 2007. John was born and raised in Idaho. He holds a B.S. degree in wildlife management from the University of Idaho and an M.S. degree in wildlife management from South Dakota State University. His M.S. research focused on habitat selection by white-tailed deer in the northern Black Hills.
John and his wife Carmen have two sons, Jacob and John Jr. The Kennedy family enjoys camping, fishing and hunting.
John Emmerich
Deputy Director (External Operations)
Emmerich - Deputy Director of External Operations, Wyoming Game and Fish Department. As deputy director, John works closely with the Wyoming State Legislature, Federal Land and Resource Management Agencies, State Agencies, local governments, various industries and NGO's to shape laws, regulations, policies and working relationships that form the basis for implementing effective programs to meet the mission of the WGFD - "conserving wildlife and serving people". Prior to becoming deputy director, John's 36 year work history includes habitat management for the USFWS in the rainwater basin of south central Nebraska, inventorying and analyzing nongame bird use of different woodland habitat types in eastern South Dakota, collecting pre-coal leasing, baseline wildlife data for the WGFD, serving as the WGFD Lander Wildlife Biologist working extensively with sage grouse and big game, coordinating the annual Whiskey Basin Bighorn Sheep trap and transplant program, and coordinating the One Shot Antelope Hunt Foundation, Water for Wildlife program. From Lander John moved to Cody to serve as the WGFD Cody Region Wildlife Management Coordinator supervising the terrestrial wildlife management program for the Bighorn Basin, including grizzly bear recovery efforts, and then to Cheyenne to serve as the WGFD Assistant Chief, Wildlife Division, supervising Division budgets and terrestrial wildlife management programs. John graduated in 1972 from the University of Wyoming with a BS degree in Wildlife Management with honors, and South Dakota State University with an MS in Wildlife Biology. He has been recognized by the WGFD with the Director's Award, Wildlife Division Wildlife Management Commendation, WGFD Wildlife Division employee of the year, by USDA with a Forest Service certificate of appreciation in 2010 was recognized with the Ernest Thomas Seton Award by the National Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
John is a U.S. Navy veteran, married has 3 grown children and enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, bird hunting and tennis.
Sheridan Voycheske
Executive Assistant
Glenn Pauley
Planning Coordinator
Mark Nelson
Project Coordinator
David Willms
Assistant Attorney General
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Office of the Director
5400 Bishop Boulevard
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82006
Ph: (307) 777-4600
Fax: (307) 777-4699
