State of Missouri
12/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/17/2025 09:11
Molly Starkey selected as December 2025 Missouri Department of Natural Resources Team…
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 16, 2025 - Molly Starkey, an environmental program specialist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Missouri Geological Survey, is the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Team Member of the Month for December 2025. She was selected for her service to the department and for her actions while representing the department during a Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission hearing earlier this year.
As part of her usual duties, Starkey conducts geohydrologic investigations at sites impacted by hazardous wastes. She also conducts geohydrologic evaluations for wastewater treatment facilities and reside
ntial housing developments, and provides technical assistance in siting, monitoring and cleaning up hazardous waste sites, as well as siting and monitoring landfills in Missouri, among other duties.
Earlier this year, Starkey was asked to testify on behalf of the department at a Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission hearing about a permit decision. To prepare, she attended meetings with the department's General Counsel's Office and the Missouri Attorney General's Office, reviewed all case filings and held multiple calls with attorneys to answer questions about geology related to the case.
During a nearly four-hour testimony and cross-examination at the commission hearing, she presented the science that informed the department's decision. Ultimately, the commission chose to uphold the department's decision and cited Starkey's testimony multiple times in the ruling.
"Molly showcased her knowledge and expertise in geology as well as the department's processes in a very professional manner," said Carly Simpson, a department legal counsel who nominated Starkey for the award. "She really went above and beyond during this process and exemplifies the best service, science and knowledge the department has to offer."
Starkey joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in May 2011 and resides in Springfield.
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