Carey Bridges, RG, was named State Geologist and Director of the department's Missouri Geological Survey, effective Nov. 15, 2022.
Carey has been with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in a variety of roles for the past 23 years. She began her career with the department in 1999, as a Project Manager in the Hazardous Waste Program, overseeing Superfund sites and later Brownfields/ Voluntary Cleanup Program sites. She served as Chief of the Brownfields/ Voluntary Cleanup Unit for more than five years before joining the department’s Missouri Geological Survey in 2011. Carey served as Chief of the Wellhead Protection section until 2012, when she became Director of the department's Geological Survey Program. Since 2018, Carey has served as a Deputy Director for the department's Division of Environmental Quality. In 2022, Carey returned to Missouri Geological Survey as the Director.
Carey holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Central Missouri and a master’s degree in geology from the University of Missouri - Columbia. She is licensed in Missouri as a registered geologist. Carey is an active member of the Association of Missouri Geologists and former President. She also serves on the University of Missouri Geology Development Board.