Michael Briggs named new leader of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has selected Michael Kyle Briggs as executive director of the agency beginning on January 1.
As executive director, Briggs will oversee a statewide agency of fourteen divisions and offices with approximately 700 permanent employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $110 million.
The NCWRC manages and regulates inland fishing, along with hunting, trapping and boating regulations across North Carolina.
Agency operations include maintaining more than two million acres of public lands for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation; operating six fish hatcheries for stocking public waters; maintaining nine shooting ranges; providing hundreds of free boating access areas and publicly accessible places to fish on more than 100 different bodies of water; and offering free hunter education and recreational boating safety courses.
Briggs has served as Chief Deputy Director of the NCWRC since 2015, overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations as well as leading the agency’s Law Enforcement, Wildlife Management, Inland Fisheries and Habitat Conservation Divisions and a newly established Genetics Program.
“I’m honored and delighted by the opportunity to be the agency’s Executive Director,” said Briggs. “I look forward to leading the agency’s dedicated and knowledgeable staff who demonstrate their commitment on a daily basis to conserving our state’s fish and wildlife resources.”
“Having served as Chief Deputy Director for the past two Executive Directors, Kyle’s extensive knowledge of the inner-workings of the agency puts him in a unique position to transition into the executive director role with ease,” said Monty Crump, the Commission’s chairman and chair of the executive committee.
“Under his management, we look forward to the agency’s continued sound scientific approach to management of the state’s fish and wildlife resources,” Crump said.
A native of Lexington, Briggs resides in Raleigh with his wife, Allison, and they have two children, Kayleigh and Noah, both of whom are in college.
Briggs holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from NC State University and began his career with the agency in 1994 as an Inland Fisheries Technician at the Pisgah Forest Hatchery, now known as the agency’s Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery.
Briggs replaces Cameron Ingram, who has served as executive director since August 2020, and announced his retirement in September.
“It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside Kyle during my tenure,” said Ingram. “His understanding of the science behind sound management practices for fish and wildlife, as well as his experience and perspective as an avid angler and hunter puts him in an exceptional position to lead the agency’s in fulfilling its mission to conserve North Carolina’s wildlife resources and their habitats and provide programs and opportunities that allow outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy wildlife-associated recreation.”
