Kelly Hunter Foster

Senior Attorney

Since 12/6/10

Kelly Hunter Foster has served as Senior Attorney at Waterkeeper Alliance since December 2010. Kelly supports a diverse network of relationships with Waterkeeper Organizations, NGOs, agencies, community members, policy makers, and grassroots organizations through technical assistance; coalitions and partnerships; regulatory, legislative, and policy evaluations; and regulatory actions and litigation.

Kelly also previously managed the organization’s Clean Water Defense and Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaigns, including strategy, partnerships, investigations, GIS, water monitoring, training, and advocacy.

Kelly’s commitment to protecting waterways, and the people that depend on them, arises from growing up in and exploring southwest Missouri—an area known for its abundance of historically crystal-clear Ozark streams, brilliant blue springs, and vast cave systems.

With more than 27 years combined experience in government and nonprofit sectors, Kelly is a nationally recognized environmental attorney with extensive expertise in a wide range of legal, regulatory, policy, and technical issues. Her expertise is reflected in major policy and legal developments, and she is frequently asked to consult or speak on diverse topics.

Before joining Waterkeeper Alliance, Kelly spent 14 years with the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, first as an Assistant Attorney General and later as the Environmental Protection Unit Chief, where she was responsible for advising seven environmental agencies and two Cabinet Secretaries, as well as managing administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement cases.

Kelly lives in Missouri with her son. They both love to play music, travel, and spend time outdoors in the woods and on the water.

“Spring River flows through my hometown and into Kansas and Oklahoma, where it merges with waters contaminated by the Tar Creek Superfund site. Growing up surrounded by beautiful, abundant water resources, as well as devastation and pollution from abandoned mines, is a big part of what inspired me to do this work.”