AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Arch “Beaver” Aplin and Oliver Bell and reappointed Dick Scott to the Parks and Wildlife Commission for terms set to expire on February 1, 2023. The commission manages and conserves the natural and cultural resources of Texas and provides hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Arch “Beaver” Aplin of Lake Jackson is president and CEO of Buc-ee’s. He is a member of the Houston Methodist Hospital President’s Leadership Council and lifetime Member of the Coastal Conservation Association and The 100 Club. He is the former board president of the Brazosport Independent School District and a former member of the State of Texas Small Business Council, Lieutenant Governor’s Transportation Advisory Board, and the Brazosport Center for Arts and Sciences Board of Trustees. Aplin received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University.

Oliver Bell of Cleveland is CEO of Oliver Bell, Inc., a consulting firm that emphasizes teaching and developing leadership skills. He is also the founder of the Texas Labor & Employee Relations Consortium. Prior to founding his firm, he served as vice president of a large labor relations consulting firm and preceding that, worked for Mobil Oil’s human resources group. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Association, the Association of the United States Army, and is a volunteer with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Armed Services Appreciation Committee.  He is a past member of the Board of the West Point Society of greater Houston and the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity -The Boulé. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents, former gubernatorial appointee and chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, and former chairman of the Windham School District Board of Trustees. Bell is currently a doctoral candidate in leadership and organizational development at the University of Southern California. He is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and was an Airborne-Ranger qualified Army officer.

Dick Scott of Wimberley is the former co-owner of Trans Global Solutions, Inc., and retired after almost 40 years. He is a member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Board of Directors and a member of Boys and Girls Country Executive Committee. He is a volunteer contributor for the Hays County FFA and 4H clubs and lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and serves on their International Committee. Additionally, he previously served on the Lower Colorado River Authority. Scott received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Lamar University.