NASHVILLE (AP) — A prominent Republican political consultant is joining the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.

A news release says Chip Saltsman received the appointment from state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, one of Saltsman's biggest political clients.

Saltsman replaces Jim Ripley on the governing body of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Saltsman has worked on numerous well-known campaigns nationally and in Tennessee, including on Mike Huckabee's bids for president in 2008 and 2016.

He began as a staff member of former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist and also worked as an adviser for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's political action committee. Saltsman says he grew up hunting and fishing in the southeast.