Racey named interim director of AGFC, search for permanent director to begin

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission named Chris Racey the interim director of the agency in a special meeting Monday. Racey will serve in that capacity while the agency performs a nationwide search for a permanent director.

Racey thanked the Commission for their confidence in him and gave much credit to the AGFC’s outgoing director, Austin Booth, who announced his upcoming resignation in November.

“Thanks to Austin, we have a direction and an excellent staff to rely on to get the job done,” Racey said. “I look forward to working with the Commission, our conservation partners, the public and the AGFC staff to maintain the standard of excellence he has set.”

Racey will begin his term as interim director Jan. 4 after Booth’s final day at the agency on Jan. 3.

“I am fortunate to not only have worked with him in the last few years, but to have him available during this time of transition,” Racey said. “He is an invaluable resource who will be greatly missed by staff and sportsmen alike and I wish him all the best in his future pursuits.”

Racey has worked for the AGFC since October 2005 and has served as the agency’s chief of staff since November 2021. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Grove City College in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in fisheries biology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2001. He worked at UAPB as a research associate before coming on board with the AGFC’s Family and Community Fishing Program, where he managed fisheries for Pulaski County, including Lake Maumelle and the Arkansas River, and maintained stocking programs for FCFP locations, often driving the hatchery truck to deliver catfish and trout to anglers in underserved communities. He also has served roles as assistant chief and chief of the AGFC Fisheries Division as well as a role as the agency’s human dimensions specialist in the AGFC Communications Division.

The Commission also unanimously approved a motion to formally request the AGFC’s Human Resources team to start the process of obtaining quotes from search firms to conduct an internal and external search to identify candidates for the agency’s next director.

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