Dan Dey's career has taken him from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to the Nez Perce National Forest in central Idaho to Sault St. Marie, Ontario, and now Central Missouri.
As a child of a military father, Dey was born in Fort Sill, Okla., grew up at Army bases in Hawaii, North Carolina and Wisconsin before moving to Sedalia at 18. It was not until he neared college that Dey began thinking of what he wanted to do. Knowing he loved the outdoors, he had thought of years that he would become a farmer. However, "I realized I did not have the land, or the money for that," he said.
When talking with advisors at the University of Missouri, Dey said he was interested in wildlife management and one mentioned that he should major in forestry.
"I got into it without knowing anything about it," he said. Now, he says he would not change his decision for anything.
"I have always enjoyed what I do. It is such a diverse field there are so many things you can do."