Nearly every
position Sara Parker Pauley has held in her 30+ year career has been directly
related to conservation and natural resource protection. She was the first
woman to hold the position of director of the Missouri Department of
Conservation (2016 – 2024), and the first person to have served in this role
and as director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (2010 – 2016).
She has also served in other roles at these departments, as chief of staff to
the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, as director of
conservation programs for the American National Fish & Wildlife Museum, and
as a regional field supervisor for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Women
in the Outdoors program. During her time as MDC Director, she also served as
the first woman President of the national Association of Fish & Wildlife
Agencies in its 120+ year history.
During her
tenure as director of MDNR, Sara was instrumental in the acquisition of key
lands for Missouri State Parks, including adding new parks as well as securing
additions to existing state parks. New parks include Echo Bluff, Ozark
Mountain, Jay Nixon, Don Robinson, Eleven Point and Rock Island Trail, and
additions were made to Johnson Shut Ins, Taum Sauk Mountain, Onondaga Cave, and
Roaring River State Parks.
During tenure
as MDC Director, the agency acquired 16,760 acres through purchase and
donation. Key tracts include the Wah Kon' Tah, Linscomb, Don C. Bedell, and
Berrier tracts. Wah Kon' Tah tract is a 320-acre grassland protecting a portion
of the upper watershed of Little Clear Creek. The Don C. Bedell unit of Peck
Ranch added 5,805 acres of newly conserved forest land with some of the most
biologically important woodland habitat in the Midwest. This area is also
important to the preservation of the federally endangered Ozark Hellbender and
is the center of the elk restoration zone. The Dr. Harry and Lina Berrier
Memorial Tract to Sons Creek Conservation Area added 160 acres adjacent to
Penn-Sylvania Prairie, which is recognized with a world record for number of
plant species in a 20x20 inch square.
Sara has long
advocated and taken action to improve opportunities for underserved populations
to experience the benefits of outdoor recreational opportunities, opening or
overseeing urban outreach offices at both MDC and MDNR.
Sara led
efforts to create the Boone County Nature School in Boone County, Missouri, a
partnership between Columbia Public Schools, the MDC, and the surrounding
community. At the school, 5th graders from all of Boone County visit BCNS for
two weeks and engage in a variety of nature-based activities.
Sara has long
understood the importance of partnerships and was instrumental in the creation
of two research centers at the University of Missouri: the Center for
Regenerative Agriculture and the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands
& Aquatic Systems.
Sara is a
strong role model not only for young women, but for all who aspire to lead a
life of meaning and accomplishment.
Sara earned her
Bachelor of Arts in journalism, juris doctorate from the University of
Missouri, and additional graduate work at Sydney University in Australia. She
resides in Boone County, Missouri, with her husband Scott Pauley, and parents
Marilyn and John Parker.