Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Friday that Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner John Boyle left his administration, making him the third high-level cabinet member to depart in the same number of months.
Boyle follows former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, who resigned in July, and former Attorney General Treg Taylor, who resigned in August. Both have since announced they are running for governor.
In a written statement, Dunleavy thanked Boyle for his service to the department but did not provide any specifics on the reason for Boyle’s immediate departure, which was not previously announced.
Dunleavy, who is termed out from seeking reelection, is entering his final year in office.
Prior to joining the Dunleavy administration in 2023, Boyle worked as a government affairs manager for Santos, an Australian oil and gas company, and before that for oil giant BP.
Dunleavy appointed John Crowther to serve as acting commissioner of the natural resources department beginning Friday.
Crowther most recently served as deputy commissioner. He previously worked as director of state and federal relations for Alaska, based in Washington, D.C., and as counsel to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He is originally from Anchorage and holds a law degree from Georgetown University.
“Managing Alaska’s natural resources is an enormous responsibility that I take extremely seriously, and I want to thank Gov. Dunleavy for placing his trust in me to manage the department and its hundreds of hard working employees,” Crowther said in a statement shared by Dunleavy.
