Member of the Board of Advisors

Drusilla (Dru) Hobbs Butler
Master of Science, Geography
Class of 1979

Dru received a B.A. from San Diego State in 1977 where she studied physical geography, and received an M.S. in Geography from OSU in 1979.  

Dru began work at the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), where she studied forest practices within the riparian ecosystem. She spent fifteen years working at Ecology, and ultimately served as Ecology's Nuclear Waste Program Manager. She was responsible for oversight of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation environmental clean up and she was appointed by the Governor to chair the Northwest Commercial Low-Level Radioactive Waste Interstate Compact.

Dru joined the private sector in 1995, and worked on various projects involving Hanford's water, soil, and air. Hanford is said to be the most contaminated site in the western hemisphere.

At Bechtel Hanford, she was the project manager for the historic B Reactor, where she used an innovative regulatory approach to ensure environmental protection and historic preservation. Dru also served as Director of Strategic Planning and Mission Analysis at CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc., which was responsible for  managing the highly radioactive waste that is stored in aging underground tanks.

Dru currently works for Washington State as a Nuclear Waste Specialist responsible for providing a technically feasible  compliance pathway for the complex Hanford cleanup.

Dru lives in Richland, WA with her husband, Ron Skinnarland. She has two daughters who attend college.