Chris Colclasure is the Director of the Natural Resources Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. A position he has held since September 2021. In his current role, he guides the agency as they conserve and manage the states land and water resources. Prior to this, he served as a Deputy Director at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for five years and supervised and led most of the major agency divisions during his tenure. He also worked 14 years for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, serving three years as the agency director, and two years at the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Prior to working for the state, he worked on a fish farm and owned his own residential painting business.
He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Certified Public Manager Certification from the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium. He spends his free time with family and friends enjoying the excellent hunting and fishing opportunities available in The Natural State.