New Leadership in Place for TWRA Fisheries Division

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Fisheries Division is now under new leadership with the earlier appointments of Bobby Wilson as Fisheries Chief and Frank Fiss as Assistant Chief.

 

Wilson moved into his new leadership role after serving as the Fisheries Division’s assistant chief since 1997. Wilson recently received his 30-year service award with TWRA. He joined TWRA on Nov. 1, 1979 as a part-time fisheries technician and became Lake Manager of Lake Graham in Madison County the following year and served in that role until 1984. He then became a fisheries biologist over agency lakes, Humboldt Hatchery and the Farm Pond Program in TWRA’s Region I until moving into the assistant chief’s position.

 

A native of Nashville, he is a graduate of Father Ryan High School. Wilson holds his bachelor’s degree in wildlife management and his master’s in fisheries management, earning both degrees at Tennessee Tech University.

 

 He is a member of the American Fisheries Society, Tennessee Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and the National Geographic Society. Wilson served as the Central Meeting Chair of the 139th Annual Meeting of the AFS which was held in Nashville in 2009. More than 1,600 professional fish scientists were in attendance.

 

Fiss is now serving in the position previously held by Wilson. He joined TWRA on Jan. 1, 1995. He served as Streams Program Coordinator for his first 13 years with the agency. In 2008, Fiss became Aquatic Conservation Coordinator.

 

Prior to his TWRA days, Fiss served as a Fisheries Research assistant at Tennessee Tech University from 1991-1995. He received both his bachelor’s degree and master’s in wildlife and fisheries science from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the American Fisheries Society and Fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute.