“I have big shoes to fill,” Scott said. “When I attended graduate school at Virginia Tech, Bret Preston was my mentor. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve learned a lot working with him.”

“We are very excited to have Mark Scott join our management team at DNR Headquarters,” said Paul Johansen, chief of the Wildlife Resources Section. “Mark brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership skills to our fisheries management program.”

A native of Beckley, Scott has almost 30 years of fisheries management experience. Before his appointment, he served as district fisheries biologist for DNR District 4, which covers southeastern West Virginia. He started his DNR career as assistant district fisheries biologist in 1989.

Scott has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife resources from West Virginia University and a master’s in fisheries management from Virginia Tech. He’s an avid outdoorsman and enjoys fishing and bowhunting.