Sara Parker Pauley is the former director of the Missouri Department of Conservation and former president of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. In each of those roles, she was the first woman to serve.
Sara grew up in Columbia, Missouri, and was interested in conservation from a young age. She received her secondary education at Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri, earning both a bachelor's degree in journalism and a law degree.
After her education, Sara worked for the conservation engagement company D.J. Case & Associates and as a policy analyst for the Missouri Department of Conservation. In 2010, Pauley was appointed to serve as director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, a position she held for six years. In 2016, Pauley was appointed as director of the Missouri Department of Conservation.
In 2020 she was elected to a one-year term as president of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.
