The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has announced several promotions and the hiring of a new Chief of Administration.
Bill Dinkines, Chief of Wildlife
Bill Dinkines has been promoted to Chief of the Wildlife Division. He previously served as Assistant Chief of Wildlife since 2000.
The Wildlife Division has about 90 technicians and biologists who are responsible for management, maintenance, research and conservation activities on more than 100 Wildlife Management Areas. They also provide assistance to landowners in managing wildlife.
“It is an honor and a privilege to work with and for the great employees we have in Wildlife Division. We have accomplished many things in my 29 years with ODWC, and I’m excited to see what we can do in the years to come not only conserving wildlife and but also ensuring future generations have the same opportunities to enjoy the outdoors as we have,” Dinkines said.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, he developed an appreciation for the outdoors from childhood experiences hunting, fishing, camping, and time spent outdoors with his father. He knew at a young age he wanted to work for the Wildlife Department.
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife ecology at Oklahoma State University, he joined the Department in 1991 doing telephone surveys. Six months later, he was hired as the Southeast Region Wildlife Biologist. In 1996, he became Southeast Region Wildlife Supervisor.
Amanda D. Storck, Chief of Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Amanda D. Storck has joined the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Administration.
“I am pleased to come back to work for the citizens of the great state of Oklahoma supporting the staff operations of the servants at ODWC that manage and protect fish and wildlife, along with their habitats.” Fifteen years of her state career have been focused on the State’s natural resources. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and look forward to addressing some of the top initiatives the Department has in enhancing fish and wildlife resources to ensure there are resources for future generations.”
Storck graduated from Shawnee High School. She attended Oklahoma State University and majored in finance with minors in accounting and Japanese. She started her career at the Office of State Finance as a budget analyst for Natural Resources and subsequently for Common Education, Higher Education and Career Tech. She then joined the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation where she was Director of Policy and Planning. While there, she completed her Master’s in Business Administration from OSU with a focus in Human Resources, Business Law and Accounting. She then transitioned to Director of Policy and Communications for the Secretary of Environment and then Chief of Administration, CFO at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Recently she was with YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City.
The Administration Division of the Wildlife Department includes Accounting, Human Dimensions, Human Resources, Information Technology, Licensing and Property Management.
Capt. Gary Emmons, District 5 Chief
After two years as a Game Warden Lieutenant in the Law Enforcement Division’s 5th District, Gary Emmons has been promoted to Captain and is now chief of the 11-county area.
“I consider it a great honor to have been selected for the job, and I hope to use this opportunity to have a positive impact on my fellow Game Wardens of the 5th District,” Emmons said.
Emmons was introduced to hunting and fishing by his father while growing up in Perry. “I’ve been tagging along with him and my older brother on hunts for about as long as I can remember, actually learning to shoot rabbits and squirrels with an old .22-caliber Colt single-action revolver when I was around 8 years old. We spent many days and nights fishing along the banks of the Black Bear and Red Rock creeks in Noble County.”
After graduating from Perry High School in 1994, he attended Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa and earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology and management from Oklahoma State University.
Emmons started his Wildlife Department career in 1999 as a contract research technician working during the final three years of the Packsaddle Quail Chick Ecology Study. He was hired as a game warden in 2002 and was assigned to Lincoln County.
He is a CLEET-certified instructor in defensive tactics, firearms and law enforcement driving. In 2014, Emmons was honored by the Shikar-Safari Club International as Oklahoma’s Wildlife Officer of the Year, as selected by his peers. As Captain, Emmons will oversee two Lieutenants and 11 Game Wardens in Law District 5 from Payne County to Love County. Cities within District 5 include Oklahoma City, Edmond, Stillwater, Guthrie, Chandler, Shawnee, Norman, Ardmore, Sulphur and Marietta.
In his spare time, Emmons enjoys bass fishing in farm ponds, hunting and firearms training. Married for 21 years, he and his wife, Misty, have two sons.