Gov.-elect Janet Mills announced Wednesday that she will nominate Judy Camuso as the next commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Camuso, who serves as the director of the department’s wildlife division, has worked for the DIF&W for more than a decade.
“Maine’s heritage, its culture, and its future are all inextricably linked to our outdoors — and no one better understands that or appreciates it more than Judy,” Mills said in a news release. “Her more than 10 years of experience at MDIFW, along with her deep understanding of its importance and the issues it confronts, position her well to lead it in the years to come. I look forward to working with Judy to continue to prioritize the protection, enhancement, and enjoyment of our outdoors.”
Camuso said she looks forward to the challenge.
“It is an honor to be selected to lead the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, an agency that I care deeply about,” Camuso said. “I have dedicated my career to the preservation and enhancement of our outdoors, the wildlife that inhabit it, and the people who enjoy it. I am excited by the opportunity to continue that work alongside MDIFW’s extraordinary employees and to ensuring that our outdoor resources and traditions can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Camuso has served as wildlife division director since 2013. Before that, she was an assistant regional wildlife biologist from 2007 until 2012, and special projects coordinator in 2013. Before joining the department, she served as Gilsland Farm Center Director at Maine Audubon from 1996-2007.
Camuso is an avid birder and hunter who enjoys canoeing, hiking and biking. She graduated from the University of Vermont and lives in Freeport.
If confirmed Camuso, 48, would be the first woman ever to lead the DIF&W, which is charged with preserving, protecting and enhancing the inland fisheries and wildlife resources of the state.
