To help implement the policies of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, the WDFW department director appoints agency region directors, a policy director and a deputy director. Assistant directors manage agency programs under the direction of the deputy director. This team works collaboratively to provide WDFW services.
Learn about WDFW Director Susewind.
Deputy Director
Deputy Director Amy Windrope has been with WDFW since 2010 and previously served as the North Puget Sound Regional Director, Acting Deputy Director, Ecosystem Services Division Manager and the Columbia Basin Policy Lead. Amy has worked for 20 years at the junction of science, community and environmental policy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from of UC Berkeley and master’s degree from Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. In her spare time, she travels backroads of Washington on her motorcycle, sails the open water of Puget Sound and is an avid reader.
Director of Conservation Policy
Margen Carlson is the Director of Conservation Policy with the Department of Fish and Wildlife where she leads a team to integrate conservation objectives throughout the agency. Margen has worked for the Department for nearly 20 years and has had the opportunity to work on a variety of conservation issues including salmon recovery, maintaining habitat connectivity in developed areas, and marine nearshore protection and restoration in Puget Sound. She served as the Director of the Habitat Program from 2019 to 2023. She is passionate about collaborative and creative conservation approaches, and helping her teams and partners to be successful. Margen explores the outdoors with her family in Puget Sound and beyond.
Director of External Affairs
Nate Pamplin serves as the Director of External Affairs, and manages the Communications and Public Engagement team and positions associated with Southern Resident killer whale recovery, social science, and natural resource economics. He represents the Director on a number of intergovernmental forums and is the lead on marine mammal conservation and tribal hunting policy issues. He has been with the agency since 2006, and previously served for six years as the Program Director of the Wildlife Program as well as worked in policy positions in the Department’s Licensing Division and the Director’s Office. Nate has a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a master’s degree in Wildlife Science, both from Oregon State University. Prior to joining WDFW, Nate worked as a wildlife biologist for the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona and as a marine mammal biologist for the Makah Tribe. In his spare time, Nate enjoys hunting, fishing, kayaking, watching wildlife, and landscaping.
Legislative Affairs Director
Tom McBride is the Legislative Director for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. He joined the agency in 2019. McBride worked at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Later, he spent 25 years as the executive director of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. Born and raised in Spokane, McBride attended Washington State University for his undergraduate degree and the University of Washington for law school. Between schools, he worked as an accountant and passed the Certified Public Accountant exam. Tom is married to Jodi and has three children and a disreputable dog.
Eastern Region Director
Mike Kuttel, Jr. is the Eastern Region (Region 1) Regional Director. Kuttel has been with WDFW since 2015 in two statewide policy positions focused on fish and wildlife conservation and providing recreational opportunities on public and private lands through federal farm bill conservation programs and partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and Washington State Department of Natural Resources on shared stewardship of forests. Previously, he worked for conservation districts, the Washington State Conservation Commission, and Washington State Department of Ecology. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Kuttel is a lifelong Washington resident and has lived on both sides of the Cascades. He grew up in southwest Washington fishing and hunting. In his free time, Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and foraging for mushrooms and berries with family.
North Central Region Director
Brock Hoenes, the North Central Regional Director (Region 2), holds a Masters of Science degree in Wildlife Sciences from New Mexico State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Brock started with WDFW in North Central Washington in 2008 and has worked as an ungulate section manager, an assistant district wildlife biologist, a district wildlife biologist, statewide WDFW elk specialist, and as the department’s deer and elk section manager.
Prior to moving to Washington, Brock worked for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit on a variety of research projects focused on mule deer, bighorn sheep, elk, cougars, black bears, and pronghorn.
South Central Region Director
Mike Livingston, the South Central Regional Director (Region 3) grew up fishing, hunting and playing in the forests of southeast Michigan. He received a bachelor’s degree in Conservation from Northern Michigan University, a bachelor’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Michigan State University and a master’s in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University. Since 1996 Mike has worked in eastern Washington and held wildlife biologist positions with the Army’s Yakima Training Center, the Yakama Nation, and WDFW as District Wildlife Biologist in the Tri-Cities. In 2012, he was promoted to his current position as WDFW’s Region 3 Director. As Regional Director, he oversees operations in the region and gets to work on big collaborative conservation projects such as the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. When not working, you can often find him outside with his: family, friends, dog, shotgun, fishing rod, and/or backpack.
North Puget Sound Region Director
Brendan Brokes, North Puget Sound Region Director (Region 4), holds a master's degree in fisheries science from Oregon State University and has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1987. He served as the Habitat Program Manager in this region since 2015, after filling a decade-long role as the Assistant Regional Habitat Program Manager. Before arriving at WDFW in 2001, Brokes worked at Mount Rainier National Park as a researcher and biological technician in aquatic ecology. He also worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service monitoring foreign commercial fisheries compliance.
Southwest Region Director
Rian Sallee has worked in the nonprofit, private and government sectors on environmental protection and conservation, specializing in water quality policy. She joins WDFW from the Washington State Department of Ecology where she led the Vancouver Field Office with a focus on environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Rian is honored to serve WDFW as Region 5 Director. She looks forward to co-creating a culture of belonging at the agency informed by our shared values and the legacy of the exceptional work and dedication of our employees. She is motivated to collaborate internally between regions and across programs, and externally to support our partnerships. Rian enjoys working at the intersection of people, science and policy and is excited to connect with and learn from our employees throughout the state as they work to conserve Washington’s fish, wildlife and the habitats that support them.
Rian serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. She is from the Midwest and spent years living and working on Lake Erie which instilled in her a passion for and commitment to natural resource conservation and environmental protection. She holds a Master of Environmental Science degree from Miami University in Ohio.
Coastal Region Director
Heather Hall will assume the role of Coastal Washington (Region 6) Director on May 1, 2024.
Heather is excited to return to Region 6, where she began her career at WDFW in 1995. Most recently, she served as Intergovernmental Ocean Policy Manager, overseeing state fisheries and fisheries extending into federal waters.
Heather is committed to public service. She brings expertise to her new role ranging from fieldwork to policymaking, giving her a unique perspective on fish and wildlife management in the Coastal Region.
Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Western Washington University. In her free time, she enjoys recreating along the Washington coast, including kayaking, standup paddleboarding, crabbing, and gathering oysters on Hood Canal.
Wildlife Program Director
Eric Gardner has been the Assistant Director of the Wildlife Program since June of 2016. Prior to that, he held positions as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Wildlife Program and the Wildlife Diversity Division Manager. Eric came to WDFW in 2012 after retiring from a career with the Arizona Game and Fish Department where he held an enforcement commission while working in several different capacities in that agency. Eric has a degree in fisheries and wildlife biology from Colorado State University. He enjoys many of the outdoor activities that are unique to the Pacific Northwest such as going out on razor clam digs, salmon fishing, and foraging for mushrooms, as well as turkey and waterfowl hunting.
Law Enforcement Chief
Steve Bear is the Chief of the law enforcement program. He has 29 years of law enforcement experience. A former Alaska State Trooper, he served over 10 years in the Director's Office as the Deputy Director and Director of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Chief Bear is a graduate of the 219th session of the FBI National Academy and a U.S. Army veteran. He has been with WDFW since September of 2017.
Habitat Program Director
Chris Conklin, Habitat Program Director was most recently WDFW's Coastal Region (Region 6) director. Chris has spent much of his career in the woods and waters of Washington and Idaho. He joined WDFW in 2013 as a habitat biologist, working out of the Coastal Region office in Montesano. After a stint in Olympia, where he eventually became the deputy director of the Department’s Habitat Program, he returned to Montesano to lead the Region 6 office in 2022. Prior to joining WDFW, Chris worked as a fishery technician at the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and a fish habitat biologist with the Quinault Indian Nation, as well as a forester for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Conklin holds a bachelor’s degree in fishery resources from the University of Idaho. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering for search and rescue, working around his property and recreating near the water or in the hills above Naches.
Fish Program Director
Kelly Cunningham is the Director of the Fish Program where he directs and oversees all aspects of the program, including the Fish Management Division, Hatcheries and Science Divisions. Kelly began his career with WDFW in 2012. He brought with him over a decade of executive management experience. Kelly holds Masters degrees in Environmental Studies and Public Administration. He is a lifelong recreational fisherman and spent nearly 20 years as a commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay, AK. Kelly resides in Olympia and enjoys fishing and spending time outside.
Chief Financial Officer
Morgan Stinson is the CFO, overseeing Licensing, Fiscal, Contracts and Purchasing, and Budget. He joined the state after leaving the Army, working in fiscal and budget roles at the Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and at WDFW for over a decade in various roles. He has a Master of Accounting from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and is a Certified Government Financial Manager. He is thankful for the patience and good humor of his colleagues and works to repay it by supporting their efforts to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Washington’s fish and wildlife.
Capital and Asset Management Program Director
Kristen Kuykendall is the Program Director for the Capital and Asset Management Program (CAMP). She has been with WDFW since June 2001, and leads over 120 engineering and construction professionals Kristen oversees budget development and management planning, engineering and construction services, public works contracting services, and asset preservation management. She has served as an engineer with the agency for over 20 years ensuring that the agency mission is reflected in the construction and maintenance of statewide facilities and public access, as well as fish passage and restoration work.
Prior to her work with WDFW, Kristen spent some time with Department of Natural Resources and private timber companies. She is a registered professional civil engineer in the state of Washington and holds a degree in Forest Engineering from The University of Washington. Kristen enjoys exploring the state of Washington, skiing up at White Pass, and playing tennis with her family.