A longtime employee of the Missouri Department of Social Services has been appointed as its new director.
Brian Kinkade was named to the post Monday by Gov. Jay Nixon.
Kinkade has served as the department's acting director since last May and also had a year-and-a-half stint as acting director from 2011 to 2012.
Kinkade's tenure at the Social Services Department spans the past five gubernatorial administrations. He previously served as the agency's deputy director and as head of its divisions of Budget and Finance and Child Support Enforcement.
Before joining the department, Kinkade was executive director of the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. He also served as a budget analyst for the state Senate Appropriations Committee.
The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.