The Pennsylvania Game Commission filled two important vacancies in recent months with the hiring of two new bureau directors.

Timothy Haydt, who had worked as chief of the agency’s Oil, Gas and Minerals Division, was promoted to director of the Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, and Eric Allen, who came to the Game Commission from the state Department of General Services, is now serving as director of the Bureau of Administration.

Haydt and Allen both began in their newest roles late in 2024.

“Both Tim and Eric benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience they brought to their new jobs, and they’ve been demonstrating that in leading their respective bureaus,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “They hit the ground running and haven’t looked back, and I look forward to working more with them for the betterment of Pennsylvania’s wildlife and hunting tradition.”

Haydt has worked for the Game Commission the past six years, first as chief of the Public Lands Section, then as chief of the Oil, Gas and Minerals Division. Some of his work included negotiating oil and gas agreements and coordinating comprehensive management plans for 311 individual state game lands.

Prior to the Game Commission, Haydt spent nearly 17 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in its forestry program, where he was heavily involved with all aspects of forest management.

The variety of his experience provides an understanding of the intricacies of habitat management, which is vital for the success of wildlife.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management and to be a champion for wildlife across the Commonwealth,” Haydt said. “It has been a pleasure to work with the passionate staff at the Game Commission for the past six years, and I look forward to continuing to work toward promoting and protecting wildlife habitats for current and future generations.”

Allen was Director of the Bureau of Publications for the Department of General Services. Prior to that, he was the Director of Business Transformation for the state Department of Environmental Protection, a member of the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency (GO-TIME) and a senior project manager for the state Office of Administration. In total, Allen has almost 15 years of management experience within the Commonwealth.

That experience serves him well as Director of the Bureau of Administration.

“I’m enjoying the opportunity to use all of my experience in leadership to help Game Commission improve processes and become as efficient as possible,” said Allen.