Ombudsman Office

Ombudsman Program

Ombudsmen have an important role in supplementing the outstanding work already occurring within the department.

As a public contact, the ombudsmen facilitate communication on environmental protection needs, parks and historic sites, historic preservation and other issues. The ombudsmen serve as a point of contact for citizens, businesses and local governments. Ombudsmen proactively meet with these entities to ask about any concerns or issues, then forward such items to the regional directors and the director’s office for action and resolution.

After receiving input and comments from citizens and communities, the ombudsmen will communicate this information daily. This communication will enable the regional directors to determine specific needs within their regions and to develop a course of action for addressing those needs. Additionally, this communication will assist the director’s office with tracking issues that manifest themselves repeatedly across the state.

	Central Region Jim Froelker, Gerald, represents central Missouri, serving as ombudsman from the department's Division of Geology and Land Survey office. Froelker, who worked for McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for 35 years, served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003.
	Kansas City Region Judy Bowman, Kansas City, serves as the department's ombudsman in the Kansas City Regional Office. Bowman, who owns a seminar business, worked as a nurse for 30 years. Prior to joining the Department of Natural Resources, she served as a field representative for Congressman Sam Graves.
	Northeast Region Don Summers, Unionville, is the department’s ombudsman in the Northeast Regional Office at Macon. Summers served as project manager for the North Central Missouri Regional Water District from 2000 to 2005 and served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1994 to 2000.
	St. Louis Region Mike Alesandrini, French Village, serves as the department's ombudsman in the St. Louis Regional Office. Alesandrini previously served as director of environmental affairs for the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. In that position, he worked with area businesses and elected officials as well as local, state and federal regulations.
	Southeast Region Jackson L. Bostic serves as the department’s ombudsman in the Southeast Regional Office in Poplar Bluff. Bostic first joined the department as a soil scientist in 1989. In 1992, he transferred to the Southeast Regional Office where he was employed as an environmental specialist working with underground storage tanks. In 1996 he accepted a full-time position as a state on-scene coordinator for the department’s Environmental Services Program, where he worked until being appointed ombudsman in February 2006. Bostic graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in Agriculture/Agronomy.
	Southwest Region Carrie Smith, Marshfield, serves part-time in the Southwest Regional Office and shares duties with Woolery. Smith is a lifelong resident of southwest Missouri. She is a 2000 Graduate of College of the Ozarks where she received a degree in business administration with an emphasis in economics. She served as director of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Springfield Office from 2001 to 2004.
	Southwest Region Dave Woolery, Branson, serves part-time in the department's Southwest Regional Office in Springfield. Woolery, who owns an auction company in Branson, worked for 30 years for Southwestern Bell. He also has held several paid and appointed positions in Taney County, currently serving as chairman of the Taney County Airport Board.