Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Commissioner - Sixth District

    COUNTIES: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, York

    Robert B.J. Small

    Headshot of Commissioner Robert B.J. Small

    Commissioner Robert “B.J.” Small of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, represents the Sixth District of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, encompassing Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties and was appointed in July 2017.

    Commissioner Small is a native of Gettysburg and a United States Army veteran. He enjoyed a 30-year-career as a newspaper photojournalist and editor at the Gettysburg Times. His long-running outdoors column still appears in the Gettysburg Times and the Carlisle Sentinel. He was also a broadcast reporter and producer for the statewide Radio Pennsylvania network. Commissioner Small is currently the Media and Communications Coordinator in Pennsylvania for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, producing press and opinion pieces, blogs, photography, videos and social media.

    During his first term as commissioner, Commissioner Small was part of the team that conducted a search that ultimately hired PFBC Executive Director Tim Schaeffer. Also during his tenure, the Commission developed a new three-year strategic plan, graduated multiple classes of new waterways conservation officers, collaborated to launch a new HuntFishPA portal for purchase of fishing licenses and helped collaborate with staff, anglers and legislators when the Commission was granted authority to consider its own license fees.

    Commissioner Small loves to hunt and fish and enjoys the outdoors. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Adams County Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Mechanicsburg North Rotary Club, Gettysburg American Legion Post 202 and VFW Post 7530 of Mechanicsburg.

    B.J. and his wife Oneida “Needy” Small are both happily retired and live in Mechanicsburg.