Angi Bruce

Prior to being appointed as the next director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Angi Bruce hadn’t really considered the impact of being the first woman to lead the agency in its 51-year history. But when the news was reported over the holiday weekend, she started receiving calls and notes of support from many women, both within the department and from the community.

“[They] reached out and thanked me for stepping up and paving the way,” Bruce said Monday morning in an interview with the Tribune. “It really hit home for me having women in these positions that have historically been dominated by men is very impactful and I should really take that seriously, so that other women can follow.”

Bruce is no stranger to leadership roles. As the child who grew up in a farming family from Red Oak, in southwest Iowa, she started out working with wildlife and habitats for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources immediately after college. She quickly ascended to assistant chief of wildlife during her 17 years with the agency.

“I worked everywhere from a private lands biologist to regional supervisor and then assistant chief,” she said.

Iowa is largely dominated by private land ownership. With a population of 3.2 million residents who love outdoor sports in a state about half the size of Wyoming, the Iowa DNR was very busy.

Wyoming is a different story. Nearly 48% of Wyoming is federal public lands, and the State of Wyoming owns another 5.6%, according to Game and Fish data. Bruce started at the Game and Fish Department as habitat protection supervisor, where she oversaw wildlife environmental reviews for the director’s office and administered the state’s sage grouse executive order review process prior to being named deputy director of the department in 2019.

She currently oversees fish and wildlife issues as well as Game and Fish participation and collaboration in federal efforts, among many other duties.

“Most of my work in the past has focused on resource issues, but really where the resource issue crosses policy,” she said. “The challenge with our federal partners, in new policy and plans coming out, has been a huge workload over the last year and a half, along with other things that you've seen across the landscape, impacts to habitat, both development impacts, invasive species and weather impacts. So there's no shortage of challenges.”

Bruce said those challenges have been “elevated” in the past year, which was marked by public outrage after a wolf abuse case, including the response by the department.

“The job will not be short of challenges. Utilizing our citizens’ shared love of wildlife, I have no doubt we can be successful in tackling them together,” she said in a prepared statement Friday.

All three of the candidates for the department’s top spot forwarded to Gov. Mark Gordon by the commission came from inside the department. Rick King, who serves as the chief of the wildlife division, has been with the department for the past 26 years; and Craig Smith, who serves as the deputy chief of the wildlife division and has also been with the department for 26 years.

“The Game and Fish commission forwarded three exceptionally well-qualified candidates reflecting Wyoming’s commitment to wildlife and our natural resource heritage,” Gordon said. “In her role as Deputy Director, Angi has demonstrated the department’s dedication to protecting our state’s leadership role in science and policy on wildlife issues large and small.”

“I am thrilled for this opportunity. I will build off the incredible work of Director Nesvik to grow partnerships, work with the public, and utilize the Department's dedicated and passionate staff to manage our world class wildlife,” Bruce responded.

In the interview with the Tribune, Bruce mentioned several challenges the state faces, including dealing with species and habitat of concern, wildlife diseases and working with stakeholders, both local and through federal agencies.

“One of the things we've learned, especially over the past year, is people want to help. People will step up to help and the passion for Wyoming's wildlife is huge,” she said. “I will stay focused on the fact that, for the most part, we all want the same thing. We want thriving wildlife populations in the state of Wyoming. Sometimes where a disagreement comes into play, is how we get there and what we choose to focus on. But if we can all sit around the table and start with that common goal, we seem to be able to find a way to get there.”

Bruce said she looks forward to continued work with the public and is confident and excited about the appointment, despite all the monumental challenges for the department going forward.

“With 27 years under my belt — addressing all sorts of controversial issues, both in Iowa and in Wyoming — it prepares you for situations going forward,” she said.

Brian Nesvik will step down from the top spot in September after 29 years with the department.