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Chris Tollefson
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that two members of its senior leadership team will trade positions. Bryan Arroyo, currently assistant director for Endangered Species, will become assistant director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, while Gary Frazer, currently assistant director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, will assume management of the Endangered Species Program.
Rowan Gould, acting director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, praised both Arroyo and Frazer for their leadership, noting that the switch will return Frazer to the Endangered Species Program he headed for five years, and enable Arroyo to manage the Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Program using expertise he gained in the Service’s Southwest Region.
“Both Bryan Arroyo and Gary Frazer are outstanding leaders who have contributed enormously to the Fish and Wildlife Service mission. This change will enable the Service to better take advantage of their strengths and talents, enabling us to tackle new challenges like climate change, while protecting and enhancing our nation’s fish and wildlife resources,” said Gould, adding that the switch will become effective immediately.
As the assistant director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, Arroyo will be responsible for overseeing policy direction and management of the National Fish Hatchery System, fish health and fish technology centers, fisheries management, aquatic invasive species and injurious wildlife, habitat restoration programs, environmental contaminants, natural resource damage assessment and restoration, environmental review of development activities, and wetlands inventory and mapping.
Frazer, who has been the assistant director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation since January 2008, will be responsible for carrying out policy development and management of all aspects of the Endangered Species program. He previously served as assistant director for Endangered Species from 1999 through 2004.
Arroyo has overseen the Endangered Species Program since 2006, having previously held the position of deputy assistant director. Prior to that, he served as assistant regional director for Ecological Services in the Southwest Region from 1998 to 2006. As assistant regional director, Arroyo led regionwide implementation of the Endangered Species Act, Environmental Contaminants, Federal Activities, Habitat Conservation, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, and the Coastal Program. In this role, Arroyo had oversight of more than 200 employees regionwide.
Arroyo’s experience with the Service includes assignments at field, regional, and national offices. He began his career in 1990 as a student trainee with the Service’s field office in Arlington, Texas. In 1991, he was appointed to a full time permanent position in that office and then transferred to the Service’s field office in Austin, Texas. He served there as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist conducting project reviews under the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. In 1994, he transferred to the Service’s headquarters office in Arlington, VA where he worked primarily in policy and budget development.
Born in New York City and raised in his parents’ native Puerto Rico, Arroyo attended the public school system in Puerto Rico, graduating from Ponce High School in 1982. He attended Catholic University of Puerto Rico and graduated in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in science with a major in biology. In 1991, he earned a master’s degree in science with a major in zoology from the University of Arkansas.
Frazer started his career with the Service in 1984 as a field biologist in the Ecological Services field office in Virginia. He transferred to the Washington Office in 1989, initially as a staff person for wetland regulatory issues. While in Washington he spent a year on detail to the Senate Environment Committee, served as acting deputy chief for the Division of Habitat Conservation, and then worked as special assistant to the assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks for three years. He left Washington in 1994 to become field supervisor of the Ecological Services field office in Columbia, Missouri.
Frazer returned to Washington in 1998 as deputy assistant director for the Ecological Services program. He served as assistant director for Endangered Species from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to 2007, Frazer served as the Service’s liaison to the U.S. Geological Survey, where he worked to broaden and strengthen effective communication and partnerships between the two agencies.
Frazer was born and raised in a small farming community in southeastern Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science with a major in fisheries and wildlife biology from Iowa State University in 1977 and a master’s degree in forestry with a wildlife specialty from Purdue University in 1981.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. |
