Kay has served on the Board of Directors at Great Rivers Environmental Law Center since 2003. She is a passionate supporter of the environment as well as civil rights, and has been an important leader of Great Rivers from the very start. She has always been close to the Green family, including Great Rivers’ founder, Lewis C. Green, and our past President, Kathleen Henry. Kay says, “I feel good about what Great Rivers has already accomplished.”

It would be difficult to find someone more passionate than Kay about protecting people from the dangers of nuclear power and radioactive waste. Her basement is an extensive library on nuclear issues, and she is the current President of Beyond Nuclear, a national nonprofit organization that works to educate the public about the hazards of nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard the future.

Kay and her late husband, Leo A. Drey, were among the founders of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment in 1969 and Kay remains active in that organization as well. They also amassed more than 153,000 acres and donated most of the property to the L-A-D Foundation (another organization they had a role in founding) in 2004. This was the largest such donation for conservation in Missouri history.

We asked Kay a few questions so you can get to know her better:

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Better writing and violin skills

What is the best (or worst) advice you’ve ever received? I’ve always been told to behave myself – but I don’t pay attention to that 🙂

What is your favorite flower? All of Missouri’s flora!

What was the best vacation you ever went on? Leo and I used to visit Minnesota. We always loved the scenic lakes, watching the beautiful birds, and enjoying the quiet there. But the Ozarks woods and streams remain our favorite.