Daniel M. Ashe is the President and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Ashe was the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) from February 2011 to January 2017. The United States Senate held a hearing on his nomination on February 15, 2011 and confirmed him to the post by unanimous consent on June 30, 2011. Ashe used to be Deputy Director for Policy of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). His prior positions included being a member of the staff of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries (1982–95), Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System (1998-2003), and Science Advisor to the Director of the USFWS (2003).