Martha Williams nominated as USFWS director

The White House nominated Martha Williams for director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week.

Since January 2020, Williams has been serving as the principal deputy director for the agency, leading the USFWS through overhauls to key regulations that had been modified in the previous administration, including those implementing the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Williams, a TWS member, served as the director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 2017 to 2020. She was also previously an assistant professor at the Blewett School of Law at University of Montana, where she co-directed the school’s Land Use and Natural Resources Clinic. Under the Obama administration, Williams served as the Department of the Interior’s deputy solicitor for parks and wildlife from 2011 to 2013.

The U.S. Senate must confirm Williams’ nomination before she can take office. The last Senate-confirmed director of the agency was Aurelia Skipwith, who was confirmed in 2019 and left the position in 2021.

This announcement follows a series of other agency director nominations from the administration, including the nomination of Charles Sams for National Park Service director. The Senate also recently took up the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning, now serving as director of the Bureau of Land Management. The administration has yet to announce a nominee for the U.S. Geological Survey director.