Amanda Wuestefeld, who has worked full time for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife for more than 25 years, was promoted to division director this week.

Wuestefeld, the first women to hold the position, replaces Mark Reiter, who retired in July.

For the past five years, Wuestefeld has served as the assistant division director. Before that, she served as the Hoosier Outdoor Heritage coordinator for eight years. In that capacity, she led the launch of the division’s first hunting recruitment program to introduce young adults to the sport.

Wuestefeld, who holds a Bachelor of Science in wildlife science from Purdue University, also served as the DFW’s Go FishIN coordinator for eight years. In that role, she led a program responsible for teaching thousands of participants the sport of fishing and oversaw the development and 2005 opening of the Fishin’ Pond at the Indiana State Fair.

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She started her DNR career in 1991 while still a college student as an intermittent employee at Hardy Lake, bringing her combined part-time and full-time service at DNR to 28 years.

Wuestefeld grew up in Commiskey spending her leisure time fishing, hunting, camping and boating.