About
Duane received his Ph.D. from Clark University in 1967 and joined the faculty at SIU. By the age of 39 Duane was promoted to Professor of Geography, Southern Illinois University. With his wife Nancy, he established the Carbondale-based water resources consulting firm, Planning and Management Consultants Ltd., employing 35 professionals when it sold to Camp, Dresser & McKee, an international engineering firm. He served as dissertation advisor to 13 Ph.D. students and thesis advisor to 18 Masters students; many of these students have pursued very successful careers in the water resources field such as Ben Dziegielewski (Professor at SIU and Director of IWRA), and Jack Langowski (President of Planning and Management Consultants Ltd).

Duane worked with numerous colleagues throughout the country, but most frequently with John Boland (John Hopkins University), John Sims (formerly at the University of Chicago), Ben Dziegielewski, and Clifford Russell (formerly of Resources for the Future at Vanderbilt University).
Duane worked with those scholars and practitioners to produce 36 monographs, 14 book chapters, and 32 articles in peer-reviewed journals including Science and Water Resources Research, his book Urban Water Demand Management and Planning with John Boland and Michael Hanneman (University of California, Berkeley), and his last book, The Evolution of Water Resources Planning and Decision Making with Clifford R. Russell (formerly with Resources of the Future and Head of the Institute of Public Policy at Vanderbilt University). The great majority of these publications are directly related to improved efficiency in the management of our nation's water resources.

Throughout his career, his research frequently focused on the psycho-dynamic and economic factors affecting decisions concerning environmental and social risk, research requiring collaboration with economists, psychologists and physical scientists.
Other Work
Other important water resources organizations Duane worked with in various capacities include: a term on the Board of Directors of the International Water Resources Association, American Water Resources Association, Chairman of the IGU Committee on Role of Perception on Resource Management and Conservation, member of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Water Supply Reviews, member of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Water Resources Research Review, and as a Board member and Executive Director for University Council on Water Resources.
He was co-founder of the Association of American Geographers' Water Resources Specialty Group. He has long served as an advisor on water management to the Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources.

Duane served as a board member of University Bank, Bank of DeSoto (where he was Chairman of the Board) and First National Bank and Trust of Carbondale. He is currently a board member on Market Street Bankshares and has served on the regional board of Old National Bank and Trust of Evansville.
Friends of UCOWR Award

Each year the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the organization and names them as "Friends of UCOWR." The 2002 Friend of UCOWR was Duane D. Baumann, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois. Dr. Baumann was named a Friend for his extraordinary support of UCOWR and for his support as Executive Director of UCOWR in water related projects at the regional, state, and national level. He served as Executive Director for 15 years, from 1987 to 2002. During that span of time, he facilitated the development and evolution of UCOWR in substantial ways. He sought and gained the strong support of the leadership of Southern Illinois University Carbondale for SIU to become UCOWR headquarters. Through negotiations with SIU and his skilled management, he built a sound financial foundation for UCOWR. He took the newsletter Water Resources Update and turned it into the highly respected quality publication it is today. During his tenure, 44 Water Resources Updates were published representing over 400 articles. Water Resources Update reflects the widespread opinion that this journal is one of UCOWR's major accomplishments during Duane's watch. Furthermore, he developed UWIN (Universities Water Information Network) as a comprehensive information resource on the Internet for water professionals. His efforts to enhance the quality and utility of UCOWR annual meetings brought increased attendance at the meetings and post-conference publications of great use to the water resources community. Also, he was steadfast in promoting collaboration with other professional associations in joint conferences. Finally and equally important, with Duane's guidance, the Board of Directors came to expect the joy of extraordinary cuisine.
Currently
Today, Duane divides his time between his homes in New York City and Scottsdale, Arizona. Duane and his wife Nancy, also a geographer, have been working together since 1974. He is the proud father of three daughters, Bridget, Rebecca, and Brittany, and has five grandchildren.