By Wes Harris
Robert E. “Rob” Shadoin, former Ruston attorney and state representative, has been named head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Secretary Jack Montoucet resigned April 14 amid an alleged bribery scandal under federal investigation.
Gov. John Bel Edwards accepted Montoucet’s resignation without comment and named Shadoin, a LDWF deputy secretary, as the agency’s new head.
In his first meeting with Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Shadoin said, “It is with great honor and a sense of duty that I take on this role. I look forward to working with each of you in the future and to serving this Commission and the Department…”
Shadoin represented Lincoln and Union Parishes as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018. An ally of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, Shadoin left the state legislature in 2018 to become the deputy counsel for the LDWF. He became LDWF deputy secretary in 2020.
Shadoin earned his B.S. from Louisiana Tech University in 1975 and his J.D. from Louisiana State in 1978. Prior to his election to the state legislature, his professional experience included working as an attorney. He served as Ruston City Attorney from 1991-1994 and from 1994-2006, he was a member of the Lincoln Parish School Board.
LDWF is the state agency responsible for management of the state’s renewable natural resources including all wildlife and all aquatic life.
