Dru Buntin was named Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in August 2021.
Dru served as Deputy Director for the department from 2009 to 2012, and again in 2017. Dru is the former Executive Director of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association, where he served for four years. Since rejoining the department in 2017, Dru has led the agency on important river-related issues, including drought relief and flood recovery. He was instrumental in developing the vision for the Missouri Hydrology Information Center, and he continues to build the legacy of the Missouri State Park system, overseeing a historic investment of more than $200 million. Dru has also overseen Missouri’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, state American Rescue Plan Act grants and other state-funded programs to help Missouri communities improve outdated drinking water and wastewater systems.
Dru earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri - Columbia. In February 2024, Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) President Elizabeth Biser appointed Director Buntin chair of the ECOS Water Committee. ECOS is the national association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders.