Colorado Parks and Wildlife is nearing the end of its search for a new director after Jeff Davis’s departure in the fall. The Colorado Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the state wildlife agency, is expected to announce the finalist for the position in early February and make a final determination by the end of the month. 

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted 8-2 on Monday, Feb. 2, to move forward with a top candidate, giving the final say to Dan Gibbs, the director of the Department of Natural Resources. 

The hiring process recently drew questions from lawmakers at the department’s recent SMART Act hearing in January, with specific concerns raised about the governor’s involvement. 

Davis was appointed as the head of Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2023, joining from a conservation director position at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. His tenure coincided with, and was publicly consumed by, the controversial, voter-mandated reintroduction of gray wolves in Colorado. In November, Davis resigned to avoid being fired, according to 9NEWS. He then transitioned into an advisor position within the Department of Natural Resources. In February, Davis started a new role as the deputy director of Wyoming Game and Fish.

Regardless of how the transition occurred, Gibbs expressed “sincere appreciation” for Davis’s leadership at the January Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. 

“He really worked hard to move mountains and really try to find the sweet spot with some of the more challenging issues that Colorado — and the nation, frankly — faces with outdoor recreation, conservation, wolves, you name it,” Gibbs said.  

As the department searches for a permanent head, Laura Clellan stepped out of retirement to serve as Parks and Wildlife’s acting director. Clellan is a retired adjutant general and executive director of Colorado’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, with prior experience at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

“My goal in the job is to ensure operational continuity,” Clellan said at the January commission meeting. “We’ve got a lot of balls in the air, and I’m gonna make sure that we don’t drop any.”  

How is a director hired? 

According to state statute, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is responsible for appointing the director with consent from the Natural Resources director, Gibbs. Colorado law also requires that the commission and department make the finalist or finalists public 14 days before making any final determinations. 

The job was posted from Dec. 11 to Jan 13. According to Gibbs, 144 people applied from all over the country. These applications were reviewed by Gibbs and Richard Reading, chair of the Parks and Wildlife Commission, who narrowed the field to 11 applicants. 

These 11 were reviewed and ranked by the commissioners, with the rankings used by Reading and Gibbs to select five finalists. 

In late January, these five finalists faced interviews from stakeholder and employee panels. The stakeholder groups were described as a “diverse group” by Richard Fields, the human resources director for the state Department of Natural Resources, who added that they included tribal representatives and individuals supporting sportsperson, recreation and conservation interests. The employee panel was chosen by Clellan and Parks and Wildlife’s executive management team. 

“They will provide individual, anonymous feedback on each candidate, and that feedback will be provided verbatim to the commission to consider in their process,” Fields said. 

At a Jan. 28 special commission meeting to interview five candidates, the commissioners voted 7-3 to move three of the individuals forward. All interviews between the candidates and commissioners were held in executive session and no names were discussed publicly with one exception. 

At the January meeting, the commission also unanimously voted to reopen the position for a week to allow specifically for Clellan — and any other interested individuals — to apply.

“In the spirit of openness and transparency, I would like to state the fact that I believe that we have somebody who has conducted themselves wonderfully as the interim director, Laura Clellan.” said Dallas May, a Parks and Wildlife commissioner, before motioning to reopen the application due to the “amazing job she has done” and an apparent possibility Clellan would consider stepping into the role permanently. 

The commission held another special meeting to interview candidates on Feb. 2. Following the executive session, the commissioners voted 8-2 to move forward with an applicant interviewed that day as the “top candidate.” 

Commissioners Jay Tutchton and Jessica Beaulieu held the dissenting votes, reporting that they did not want to pass along a preference in the final four candidates — a number that includes the three finalists from Jan. 28 and the one from Feb. 2. 

“I will trust Mr. Gibbs if we move forward as we have just said, he’ll have four candidates to choose from, and I really think it’s up to him to figure out who he can best work with,” Tutchton said. 

Will the governor have a say? 

At the Jan. 23 SMART Act hearing for the Department of Natural Resources, several lawmakers asked about the governor’s involvement in the process, mirroring concerns from constituents about Gov. Jared Polis’s potential influence with the agency, and specifically around its wolf program.  

“Is the governor having meetings with new people? The governor doesn’t have any part of this, you’re responsible, Mr. Gibbs, and also the commission, ” said Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling.  “The commission is a Type One commission, and it’s not supposed to be interfered with by any political party or any political office.”

As a type one board, the Parks and Wildlife Commission is housed within the Department of Natural Resources, but has independent rulemaking authority over Parks and Wildlife. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. 

Gibbs responded that because this is an “SES,” or senior executive service, position within the state, the governor will be involved.

“I haven’t had, actually, one SES position that the governor has not been involved with some of the final recommendations on those positions,” Gibbs said. “So he will also be part of the interview process at the end.”

When Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, more directly asked whether Gov. Jared Polis reviewed any resumes before the list of applicants was narrowed to five final candidates, Gibbs responded that he has “seen some of the resumes,” but gave no further information, stating that the state is complying with the statutory process for filling the position.