The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a new deputy executive director of administration.

                Deana Vance, who recently had been serving as the director of the Bureau of Automated Technology Services, stepped into her new role on April 1.

                Vance fills the vacancy created when former deputy executive director Thomas P. Grohol retired on March 31.

                As deputy executive director of administration, Vance assists in the planning, directing, executing and coordinating of the Game Commission’s programs to manage and protect wildlife. Deana directly supervises Game Commission bureau directors and other staff.

Vance has worked for the Game Commission for nearly 36 years, throughout which she’s showcased her innovation and people skills among other talents, said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. Those traits will serve her well in her new role, he said.

“Deana has a passion for hunting and wildlife conservation, and everything she’s done in her career has revolved around those things,” Burhans said. “She’s a superb leader with a proven track record who will excel in her new role, and I’m excited to work alongside her in this capacity.”

                Vance, of Penns Creek, has worked her entire career with the Game Commission.

She originally joined the agency in 1987 as a computer systems analyst and continued to work in application development and database administration before being promoted to Section Chief of Application Development and Specialized Software in 1991. She was promoted to Data Resources Division Chief in 2007, planning and managing the agency’s software application development and operations. In February 2017, Vance was promoted to Director of the Bureau of Automated Technology Services, serving as the Chief Information Officer, responsible for the information technology program and policies for the Game Commission.

Growing up in Chambersburg, Franklin County, Vance earned a B.S.B.A. degree from Shippensburg University in 1986. In 2013, she earned the credential of Certified Government Chief Information Officer from Harrisburg University.

Vance said she is eager to get started, and she’ll draw on her 36 years of experience with the agency to fulfill the role of her new position.

“My role as the IT director and a member of the senior leadership team has provided me an opportunity to deliver information technology solutions that promote the mission of the agency. I’ve been fortunate to gain valuable insight about agency initiatives and strengthen relationships while collaborating with agency program areas over the years to provide services to the employees of the agency as well as the sportsmen and women throughout the Commonwealth,” Vance said. “I’m honored and look forward to working on a broader scale with our Board of Commissioners, state legislators, agency staff, and our valued constituents who share our commitment for Pennsylvania’s wildlife resources,” she added.

Vance is one of two deputy executive directors working for the Game Commission. David Mitchell is the deputy executive director of field operations.