Game Commission appoints Northwest Region Director

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission has appointed a new director of the Northwest Region Office in Franklin.

Jesse Bish, who has served the Northwest Region through his entire career with the Game Commission, took the reins as director Dec. 23.

Bish fills the vacancy created when former Northwest Region Director Rich Cramer retired.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said Bish has accumulated a wide range of experience, and has served the agency in several capacities, including habitat management. He brings all of that to his new role, Burhans said.

“Whether it be the performance of his duties as a game warden in Clarion County, or a Land Management Supervisor in the Northwest Region Office, Jesse’s service to the Game Commission and citizens of the Commonwealth is commendable,” Burhans said. “He brings a unique set of qualifications and dedication, and I’m confident he will bring that same commitment to his new role as region director in the Northwest Region.”

Bish earned an Associate Degree in Wildlife Technology after attending the Penn State University DuBois campus. He entered the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in 2012, and upon graduation in 2013 as part of the 29th Class, was assigned to Clarion County as a game warden.

With the Game Commission, Bish started as a deputy game warden in Jefferson County in 2009. He then was hired full-time as a game lands maintenance worker in 2010, serving in Clarion and Jefferson counties, before entering the training school in 2012. Upon graduation from the training school in 2013 he was assigned as a district game warden in Clarion County. He was promoted to Land Management Group Supervisor in 2016 in his prior Clarion/Jefferson counties district where he served as a maintenance worker. In May 2023, Bish was promoted to the Northwest Region Land Management Supervisor, overseeing habitat management for the entire region before his promotion to Northwest Region Director in December.

Bish says one of the immediate challenges he faces is fostering increased public education and understanding of management practices used on game lands.

He says one of his immediate goals is to maintain a healthy work environment for region staff while bringing the teamwork concept to the next level. “If all disciplines can have a great working relationship together, then I believe agency goals can be met with ease and on a shorter timeline all while preserving a good working environment,” he said.

Bish is honored and excited about his new role as region director. “Understanding the impact all of us can have on wildlife management is powerful and lasting,” he said.

The Northwest Region comprises Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.