Gov. Frank Murkowski today announced the appointment of Tom Irwin as commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. Irwin has 30 years experience in the natural resource industry, evaluating, designing, permitting and operating mining and milling properties, the governor's office said.
"Tom Irwin has the knowledge and the experience — and the management abilities — to bring DNR into the 21st century, and truly make it the engine of Alaska's economy that it should be," Murkowski said. "We will have a greater emphasis on mining in Alaska, which is his long suit. Tom Irwin's skills will allow him to focus on our oil and gas sector to increase the contribution of this substantial base of our economy."
Irwin, 56, holds a bachelors of science degree in mineral engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Before moving to Alaska in 1992, he was general manager of Amax Gold's Sleeper mine in Nevada. From 1992-96, he was vice president of operations for Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc., and was directly involved with design, permitting, and start-up of the Fort Knox mine. Between 1996-2001, he was operations manager and general manager of Fort Knox and True North mines. Most recently, Irwin was vice president of business development for Fairbanks Gold.
