Two finalists selected for next director of ODFW

SALEM – The Fish and Wildlife Commission will choose between two finalists on who will be the next leader of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW).

Debbie Colbert and Kaitlin Lovell were selected from a pool of candidates to lead the agency.

Curt Melcher, who had been director since 2014, retired in April.

Colbert is currently the ODFW Deputy Director of Fish and Wildlife Programs. Lovell is currently with the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.

They were chosen by a subcommittee that included two members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission and two representatives of Gov. Tina Kotek’s office.

According to biographies provided by the ODFW, Colbert has worked for two decades on natural resources issues. Since 2021, Colbert has served as ODFW’s deputy director for fish and wildlife programs, overseeing fish, wildlife, habitat, and regional programs statewide as well as legislative engagement.

According to her biography, Lovell has led the City of Portland’s efforts to protect and restore fish and wildlife and their habitats since 2007. Prior to working for Portland, Lovell worked as an attorney for Trout Unlimited on salmon recovery, hydropower and hatchery issues throughout Oregon and the West Coast.

Click here to read the candidates’ full provided biographies.

Colbert and Lovell will have a public question and answer session Friday, May 10 before the full commission meeting at ODFW headquarters in Salem. Afterward, the commission may pick the new director.

The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live at: www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/

An online form remains available until 5:00pm on Tuesday, May 7 to submit questions for the candidates during the public question and answer.

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Elkhorn Media Group