Rooted in Our Mission
Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
Jefferson City, MO – October 1 & 2
Registration for the 9th annual Missouri Conservation Partners Roundtable is now open!
We are excited to be together in-person, October 1-2 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Jefferson City. Our theme is “Rooted in Our Mission.”
Although we may come from different backgrounds and organizations, we look forward to gathering together as partners in conservation at each year’s Roundtable. This year we will be taking a look back through the evolution of conservation in our nation, grounding ourselves in our shared and individual missions, and continuing to strengthen and create partnerships that will carry our work forward.
The overarching purpose of the Missouri Conservation Partners Roundtable is to establish and strengthen new and existing partnerships through information sharing and listening. We have a great slate of plenary speakers and breakout sessions.
Please register by September 15.
Free to attend.
As we continue to grow and evolve in our conservation journey, this year’s theme will be focused on sharing that conservation story, including how we can expand our conservation community, proactively tackle conservation challenges, and collaborate with new and existing partners to positively impact conservation in Missouri.
Registration Process
The 9th annual Missouri Conservation Partners Roundtable will be held October 1-2, 2025 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Jefferson City, MO.
September 30 at Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
All Missouri undergraduate through post-doctorate level students are invited to apply to join us for an exclusive student workshop on the evening of September. Attendees will enjoy career-development presentations from a diverse panel of conservation professionals and have the opportunity to network and build connections. Advisors for students selected to participate in this year’s workshop are welcome to attend. The workshop is free to attend, and dinner will be provided.
Applications are required to attend the Student Workshop. To apply, please register for the conference as a “student” and fill out all application questions. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until September 3, and acceptances to the workshop will be issued by September 15. Note: attendees will have a 24-hour window after registering in which they can edit their answers.
- Registration: MDC Partners Roundtable Registration
- Applications close: September 3
- Acceptances by: September 15
Please direct all questions and inquires to Lorisa Smith - lorisa.smith@mdc.mo.gov
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Tuesday - September 30th
Conservation Student Leadership Workshop (Students Only):
- 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Registration Open
- 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Dinner
- 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Workshop
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Wednesday - October 1st
- Welcome and Opening Remarks: Jason Sumners, Director, Missouri Dept. of Conservation
- Keynote Address: Buddy Huffaker, Executive Director, The Aldo Leopold Foundation
- Plenary Speaker Panel (moderated by Jason Sumners)
- Tyler Schwartz, Executive Director, Conservation Federation of Missouri
- Dr. Nadia Navarette-Tindall, Associate Professor & Native Plant Specialist, Lincoln University
- Taniya Bethke, Director of Operations, Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports
- 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm Welcome/Keynote
- 2:15 pm – 2:30 pm Break
- 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm Plenary Speaker Panel
- 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm MDC Roundtable Reception
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Thursday, October 2nd
- 7:30 am – 9:00 am Registration Open
- 7:00 am – 8:15 am Breakfast Buffet
- 8:15 am – 9:45 am Breakout Sessions
- 9:45 am – 10:00 am Break/Time to Visit
- 10:00 am – 11:30 am Breakout Sessions
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Lunch
- 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm Breakout Sessions
- 2:15 pm – 2:30 pm Break/Time to Visit
- 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm Closing Session
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Breakout Sessions - 2025 Partners Roundtable TBD
TBD
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Jason Sumners, Director, Missouri Dept. of Conservation
Jason Sumners serves as the 10th Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation. During his tenure at MDC, Jason has been instrumental in developing the agency’s strategic and operational direction, served as Deputy Director, Chief of Wildlife and Science Branches, led the state’s white-tailed deer management program, took part in Missouri’s elk reintroduction efforts, developed a private lands deer management program, and led the Department’s effort to develop and implement a chronic wasting disease (CWD) management and surveillance strategy. Jason received a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri and a Master of Science in Biology from Mississippi State University. He is a fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club, active member of several regional and national conservation related committees and has been recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for his leadership in science-based approaches to wildlife conservation
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Tony Wasley – President, Wildlife Management Institute
Tony Wasley is the President of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), a nonprofit conservation organization that has advanced wildlife science since 1911. Prior to his selection to lead WMI, Tony had a 26-year career with the Nevada Department of Wildlife where he served as Director for 10 years during which time he was elected President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2021) and President of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2015).
Tony was appointed to the Departments of Interior and Agriculture Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council in 2022, served as chairman of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, and held numerous other national, regional, and local conservation related leadership positions. Tony’s career has included time spent as a Biodiversity Coordinator, habitat biologist, game biologist, deer program lead, and agency head. Tony has bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences and wildlife management and a master’s degree in ecology. His free time is mostly spent outdoors hiking, biking, fishing, birdwatching, hunting, or otherwise simply enjoying nature.
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Dr. Maya Moody – Pediatrician
Dr. Maya Moody is a community pediatrician in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a Missouri native, graduating with her B.S. In Biology with honors from Truman State University in 2005. She attended A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine as a Still's School and graduated in 2009. Dr. Moody completed an osteopathic traditional rotating internship at Capital Region Medical Center in 2010 and then went on to complete her pediatric residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Moody has been a nature and outdoor enthusiast since her childhood, personally experiencing the healing aspects of nature and connection with the outdoors. Dr. Moody actively integrates health and nature in her pediatric primary care practice and is member of the Nature and Health special interest group of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Tovar Cerulli – Author, The Mindful Carnivore
Tovar Cerulli helps people understand each other. A listener, thinker, writer, and speaker, he has spent nearly two decades bridging disparate views of natural resources policy and management, finding common ground, and cultivating mutual respect and broadened support for conservation. He specializes in helping stakeholders gain insight into one another’s perspectives, discover shared values, and find points of actionable alignment.
A vegan-turned-hunter, Tovar believes in Aldo Leopold’s vision of conservation as “one integral whole,” and is author of The Mindful Carnivore, which has earned praise from hunters, ecologists, and vegetarians alike.
Tovar has delivered keynote talks on sensitive conservation topics for diverse audiences at state, national, and international conferences. He has consulted, presented, and provided technical assistance for many conservation agencies and organizations, including the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the United States Geological Service, the Western Water Applications Office, and the Wildlife Management Institute.
He holds a Ph.D. in communication from UMass-Amherst.
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Karl Malcolm, PhD – Assistant Director, Renewable Resources, US Forest Service
Karl Malcolm is a wildlife ecologist, conservation professional, public servant, and, along with his family, an avid participant in nature. He grew up in rural northern Michigan, where his formative experiences included lugging buckets full of maple sap, working in a local lumber mill, long days as a farm laborer, and sunrises as first mate on a Lake Michigan salmon boat. Karl has served for the U.S. Forest Service in positions at local, regional, and national levels, and taught internationally on conservation, fish and wildlife management, and wilderness stewardship. Karl’s writing, photography, and public appearances have been featured in a variety of outlets including Natural History Magazine, The Backcountry Journal, Bugle Magazine, The Pope and Young Ethic, The Black Range Naturalist, Trout Magazine, MeatEater, and Animal Planet.
Karl resides with his wife, daughter, and son in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and serves as the assistant regional director of Renewable Resources for the Eastern Region of the U.S. Forest Service.