Carr promoted to Protection Division Lieutenant in MDC's Southwest Region

JOPLIN, Mo. – Will Carr’s promotion to Lieutenant in the Protection Branch in the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Southwest Region has him overseeing enforcement duties in a part of the state he knows well.

In his new role, Lieutenant Carr will be the head of the Protection Branch's Joplin District. This means he will supervise conservation agents in Jasper, Lawrence, Newton, McDonald, and Barton counties. He began his duties Oct. 1 and replaces Scott Burger, who retired earlier this year.

Lt. Carr is very familiar with his five-county district. Prior to taking his current position, he had been a conservation agent in Jasper County for 16 years. During that time, he has received both state and national recognition for his enforcement work. He was named the United Bowhunters of Missouri Agent of the Year in 2010 and 2017; the Southwest Region Agent of the Year in 2011, MDC’s statewide Conservation Agent of the Year in 2020 and, also in 2020, he received the Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year.

In addition to his enforcement duties, Carr coaches teams for his three sons in baseball, basketball, and archery. He is also a member of the Trinity Lutheran-Freistatt School Board and is active in his church. On top of this, Carr also volunteers for local outreach counseling and addiction services.

Carr grew up in Mount Vernon and is a graduate of Missouri Southern State University. He graduated from the Conservation Agents’ Academy in 2005.

“I am excited about taking on this new leadership position and I am looking forward to leading, guiding, and training those that I have worked so closely alongside of for the past 16 years,” Carr said.

He can be reached at Willie.Carr@mdc.mo.gov. Game law violations can also be reported to the Operation Game Thief Hotline, 1-800-392-1111.