The S.C. Department of Natural Resources Board announced today the unanimous selection of Robert H. Boyles, Jr. for appointment as Director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).

Boyles’ appointment as Director is subject to confirmation of the South Carolina Senate. Alvin Taylor, former director of the SCDNR, retired in May.

Boyles has worked in South Carolina government since the early 1990s in areas ranging from marine research administration, conservation policy and management, marine operations, and interstate fisheries management.

Boyles serves on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, including stints as vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Commission. Additionally, he has served on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and on the Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee of the US Department of the Interior. Boyles received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University, and a Master of Marine Policy from the University of Delaware, and he has completed fellowships in marine conservation and policy at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, and the National Oceanic &amp; Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C.