Colleen Callahan is the newly announced Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “I’m honored to be asked to serve in the Pritzker Administration and humbled to be in a leadership position. I’m also eager to work with the dedicated DNR career staff, to learn from them, and collaborate on ways to help meet the needs of enhancing Illinois’ natural resources. I welcome the opportunity to communicate the importance and impact of our natural resources and the diverse responsibilities of Illinois DNR. From mines and minerals; to museums and management of lands; from parks to preservation of history; from water to wildlife – the oversight is vast and various. I’m looking forward to connecting with those who use and those who depend on our state’s greatest asset, our natural resources. There is strength in numbers – a number of agencies and groups are impacted by our natural resources. Working together is an opportunity, individually and collectively, not to mention encouraging the experience of our parks, trails, lakes, preserves, hunting, and fishing – all without leaving Illinois.” Callahan was NAFB President in 2002. She was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 1999 and was inducted into NAFB’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
