The Fish and Wildlife Commission has had vacancies for a long time. And this past session, there were proposals to either shrink or neuter the commission. Those failed.

There's still a vacancy at the top. The agency's executive director left, and it wasn't all his own idea.

There's at least one familiar name here: Rollie Schmitten. He used to be director of the Washington State Department of Fisheries. That was before it was combined with the Game Department.

Gov. Gregoire appoints members to Fish and Wildlife Commission

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the appointments of David Jennings, Rollie Schmitten and Dr. Brad Smith to the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

“I am pleased to welcome these exceptional members to the Fish and Wildlife Commission,” Gregoire said. “I know each brings the specialized knowledge necessary to best protect our natural habitat and wildlife. I am also confident that these commissioners will work diligently to select the most qualified person to lead the department.”

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Jennings lives in Olympia and has been active in fish and wildlife management issues for almost 20 years. He attended the University of Georgia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forest resources. He also earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Oklahoma. Jennings works at the Washington State Department of Health in the division of environmental health. He was also the water protection program manager at DOH. Jennings is the past president of the Gifford Pinchot Task Force and the Black Hills Audubon Society. In 2006, the Black Hills Audubon Society named him conservationist of the year.

Schmitten, of Lake Chelan, attended Washington State University, where he earned a degree in forest management with an emphasis on fish and wildlife. Schmitten is a former Cashmere City councilman, Chelan County Port commissioner and state representative. He was appointed the director of the Washington State Department of Fisheries. He also served as the director of the Northwest Region for National Marine Fisheries Service, a department of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, before being named national director of NMFS. In 1999, Schmitten was promoted to NOAA Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, working directly under the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that role, Schmitten participated in negotiations of international agreements on several environmental issues.

Smith, a resident of Bellingham, is dean of the Huxley College of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University. Prior to that appointment, Smith served as the first director of the Office of Environmental Education for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Smith, who has extensive international experience on environmental issues, serves on the International Scholars Program for the U.S. Information Agency. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Great Britain and worked as a research fellow for Environment Canada and the Canadian Fish and Wildlife Service.

All three were appointed to a term ending Dec. 31, 2014.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission’s primary role is to establish policies and regulations designed to preserve and protect our state’s fish and wildlife, as well as our natural habitat. The commission is also charged with monitoring the Department of Fish and Wildlife as it implements the goals, policies and objectives established by the commission. The commission also classifies wildlife and establishes the basic rules governing the time, place and method used to harvest fish and wildlife.