​​Kristen Koppenhafer

Commissioner Koppenhafer, of Warren, Pa., was confirmed to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Board of Commissioners during November, 2019 after being nominated by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Koppenhafer has been a wildlife biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation since 2011, when she was hired to fill a cooperative position with the Allegheny National Forest overseeing stewardship and challenge-cost-share funds to implement more than $1.6 million in wildlife habitat enhancement work on the forest.

A dedicated parent and hunter, Koppenhafer ​is passing along the tradition to her two young children and to many others through the National Wild Turkey Federation and agency hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation programs in the state.

"In 2016, I lost my husband, and the father of our kids," Koppenhafer  said. "Less than two weeks after Jory's funeral, I had the honor of watching both of my kids (then 6 and 8 years old) harvest their first deer. That was an experience that cannot be put into words. It was only possible because of the Mentored Youth Program in Pennsylvania." 

After that experience, she started a grief-recovery program that centers around the outdoors. "Moments on Target" is designed to connect youths — and the adults in their lives — who are grieving the loss of a loved one with heathy, fun outdoor activities.