SE Oklahoma Gets New Wildlife District Chief

From the Oklahoma Wildlife Department:

After serving as a supervising lieutenant for nine years, Game Warden Tom Cartwright has been promoted to Captain and Chief of District 4 in the Law Enforcement Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

He fills the position left by the retirement of Capt. Jimmie Henthorn. Cartwright, based in Hughes County, will oversee two Game Warden Supervisors and 12 Game Wardens in District 4, which is Bryan, Coal, Creek, Hughes, Johnston, Marshall, Okfuskee, Pontotoc and Seminole counties.

“After receiving the call that I was selected to be the Fourth District Chief, it was a dream come true,” he said. “I feel my new role will allow me to use the experiences that I have gained over the past 31 years to fulfill my original dream to make a positive difference by recruiting, inpiring and mentoring current and future Game Wardens of the Fourth District.

“I have inherited a group of very dedicated and professional individuals that are very diverse in their knowledge and experiences. I am looking forward to the challenge of leading this great group of men and women in fulfilling the mission of the Wildlife Department for the sportsmen and sportswomen of the state.”
Born in Tulsa, Cartwright is a 1981 graduate of Jenks High School. He attended Eastern Oklahoma State College and Northeastern Oklahoma State University on a track scholarship for pole vaulting, and he earned degrees in wildlife management and in zoology with a wildlife emphasis.

From 1983-86, he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a park ranger at Keystone and Wister lakes. He began his career as a Wildlife Department Game Warden in September 1986 and was assigned to Hughes County, where he has served since. In 2008, he was promoted to Lieutenant.

At an early age, Cartwright wanted to become a Game Warden. He grew up hunting and fishing in eastern Oklahoma. He became a firearms instructor early in his career and enjoyed helping police officers and Game Wardens become more proficient in firearms use and safety. He is also a Law Enforcement Driver Training instructor, CLEET-certified advanced police officer, Archery in the Schools and Shotgun Training Education Program instructor, and official scorer for the Boone and Crocket and the Pope and Young clubs.

His hobbies include bow hunting, hiking, mountain biking, guiding elk and bear hunters, and videography. He and his wife, Tina, have been married 29 years, and they have two adult children.