Gov. Mike Beebe’s office says the governor will confirm a forester from the Arkansas Nature Conservancy as the new chief of the state Forestry Commission.
Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said Monday that the governor received notice from the commission that the panel recommended hiring Joe Fox as the agency’s new director. DeCample says Beebe will sign off on Fox’s hiring.
The commission voted Friday to recommend hiring Fox and sent notice to Beebe on Monday morning.
Former director John Shannon resigned in February after an audit criticized his management and said the commission had improperly borrowed more than $6.4 million from federal grants to cover its payroll.