HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Game Commission has appointed a new director of the Southcentral Region Office in Huntingdon.
Michael Beahm, who has served with the Game Commission in the Southeast and Northeast regions, was named director in early June, and took the reins as director June 12.
Beahm fills the vacancy created when former Southcentral Region Director David Carlini shifted back to the Northcentral Region as director there.
Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said Beahm, given his wide range of experience in several capacities within the agency, and his military experience, will hit the ground running in his new role.
“Whether it be the performance of his duties as a district game warden in Lehigh County, a Federal Aid Supervisor in the Southeast Region Office or a Land Management Group Supervisor in the Northeast Region Office, Mike’s service to the Game Commission and citizens of the Commonwealth goes above and beyond,” Burhans said. “He’s held several diverse positions within the agency providing a unique set of qualifications, plus his service to his country in the military shows his sense of dedication to the public, and I’m confident he will bring that same commitment to his new role as region director in the Southcentral Region.”
Beahm has degrees from Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smiths, New York and Slippery Rock University. He entered the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in 1995, and upon graduation in 1996 as part of the 23rd Class, was assigned to Lehigh County as a game warden. In that capacity, he also served as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor.
Beahm served in the Army Reserve from 1992 to 2005, and served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
With the Game Commission, he was promoted in 2004 to Federal Aid Supervisor in the Southeast Region Office, where he served in that capacity until transferring to the Northeast Region as a Land Management Group Supervisor in 2008. In 2015, he was promoted to the Land Management Supervisor stationed in the Northeast Region Office until his recent promotion as Southcentral Region Director.
An accomplishment Beahm is particularly proud of is having received the 2014 Shikar-Safari Award, a highly prestigious honor presented annually by Shikar-Safari Club International to a Pennsylvania State Game Warden for outstanding performance and achievements.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to use my experience and knowledge in serving the sportsmen, sportswomen, and citizens of the Southcentral Region,” Beahm said. “I’m looking forward to leading the dedicated and professional staff who work tirelessly throughout the region managing and protecting our wildlife resources.”
Beahm said managing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) – which always is fatal to the deer and elk it infects – will be a top priority as region director, but staff also will focus attention on other wildlife species, such as ruffed grouse.
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