KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A transition among Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s cabinet will leave five state departments with acting directors.
According to a release Tuesday from the governor’s spokesperson, the departments of Economic Development, Mental Health, Social Services, Revenue and the Office of Administration will be led by acting directors:
- Economic Development: Maggie Kost, acting director
- Mental Health: Valerie Huhn, acting director
- Social Services: Robert Knodell, acting director
- Revenue: Joseph Plaggenberg, acting director
- Office of Administration: Ken Zellers, acting commissioner.
The outgoing Director of Economic Development, Rob Dixon, is leaving his post later this month for a job at Ameren Missouri. The outgoing director at the Department of Mental Health, Mark Stringer, is set to retire at the end of October.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Parson announced that current Office of Administration Commissioner Sarah Steelman had stepped down effective immediately.
The current acting director for the Department of Social Services, Jennifer Tidball, is taking a new position within state government.
The release did not outline a timetable for when or if any of the acting directors would be made permanent.
"We appreciate the great work our agency leaders have achieved in service to all Missourians," Parson said in the release. "These leaders have helped move our state forward while navigating some of the hardest times in our state's history."
