Governor-elect names Kurt Schaefer to lead Department of Natural Resources
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Governor-elect Mike Kehoe announced the next director to lead the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will be from Mid-Missouri.
According to a news release on Thursday, Kehoe named former Boone County state senator Kurt Schaefer as the next director.
Schaefer would assume the position on Jan. 13 and wait to be confirmed by the Missouri Senate.
“Kurt holds valuable experience in both the private sector and state government, and I have full confidence that he will be an excellent leader at the Department of Natural Resources,” Kehoe said in the release.
According to the news release, Schaefer served as the DNR's General Counsel and Deputy Director.
He also served District 19, which covered Boone County, in the Missouri Senate from 2009 - 2016, including as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
“I look forward to carrying on the department’s mission of efficient and sustainable management of Missouri’s natural resources, protection of human health and the environment, and the development of comprehensive energy policy," Schaefer said in the release.
Schaefer most recently ran Missouri's Third Congressional District but lost in the Republican primary against Bob Onder in August.
The department is currently led by director Dru Buntin. He was named the director by Gov. Mike Parson in August 2021 after Carol Comer, who was appointed by former Gov. Eric Greitens, died from cancer.
If appointed, Schafer will be the 13th director since its creation in 1974, according to its website.
