Conservation Commission names Sara Parker Pauley as Conservation Director

The Missouri Conservation Commission has selected Sara Parker Pauley as the ninth director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), effective Nov. 1.

Pauley replaces Robert Ziehmer, who resigned in July to work in the private sector. She is the first female director in the Conservation Department's 79-year history.

Since December 2010, Pauley has served as the Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Pauley previously worked as a project manager for D.J. Case & Associates, a natural resources communications firm. She worked with federal and state agencies on policy development, marketing, and environmental compliance. From 2001 to 2005, Pauley served as the deputy director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. She also served as chief of staff to former Missouri House Speaker Steve Gaw.

Pauley has been an executive committee and board member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. She was a member of the board of the American National Fish & Wildlife Museum, where she served as director of conservation programs. She has published a number of articles on wildlife and natural resources management.

A native of Columbia, Pauley received both her law degree and her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri - Columbia, and did post-graduate studies in Australia as a Rotary Fellow. She was an instructor at the University of Missouri's School of Natural Resources, where she taught a course in natural resource policy and administration.