Governor Mike Beebe has named Emon Mahony of El Dorado as the newest commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
"Emon is a true conservationist, the result of being a lifetime outdoor sportsman," Beebe said. "He understands both the environmental protection and economic opportunities that good stewardship can foster."
Mahony, 68, has been a trustee for the Arkansas Nature Conservancy since 2007. Governor Pryor previously appointed him to the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission in 1978, where he served for seven years, including one as chairman. He was one of the advocates who helped establish the one-eighth cent conservation sales tax for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and still works to create conservation easements to protect local ecosystems.
Since 1996, Mahony has been president of an oil-and-gas business in Union County. He spent the 20 years prior to that with the Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation, serving most of that time as the company's president. He also worked for U.S. Senator John McClellan and as a private attorney.
Mahony fills the 4th Congressional District position on the Commission, replacing Freddie Black. His term will expire July 1, 2016.
