Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen filled a key Department of Health and Human Services position Tuesday that had been vacant for months.
Pillen appointed Alyssa Bish as the department's director of Children and Family Services, which had been vacant since December, when Pillen , Stephanie Beasley, after he was elected governor.
Bish, who will begin in her new role Dec. 28, has been the director of personnel within the Missouri Office of Administration since February. She also served as the director of strategy and leadership development for the state.
A Nebraska native who studied communications at Wayne State College, Bish previously worked for Missouri’s Department of Social Services and in the state’s Children’s Division where she focused on improving the quality of foster care services and decreasing the backlog of cases, Pillen's office said in a Tuesday news release.
Bish earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri with an emphasis on foster care issues, the governor's office said.
“In addition to the success she has had, Alyssa brings a passion for helping children and families through difficult times," Pillen said in the news release. "I look forward to working with Alyssa as she brings that passion to this role at DHHS.â€
The state will pay Bish $175,000 annually. Beasley's annual salary before she left the job was $169,747, a spokeswoman for the governor said Tuesday.
When she arrives in Nebraska in December, Bish will be the fourth person to lead the state's Children and Family Services division in the last year.
Former HHS CEOÂ Dannette Smith served as the division's interim director from when Beasley departed in December until .
Since then, Tony Green, the director of the department's Developmental Disabilities division, has doubled as the interim director of Children and Family Services.
Bish's appointment marks the second time in three months that Pillen has filled a key HHS position with an appointee who has ties to Missouri's social and child welfare system.Â
The governor in August tabbed Steve Corsi, who previously led the Missouri Department of Social Services, to serve as the CEO of HHS.
Corsi's confirmation could face roadblocks when it goes before the Legislature early next year after an Omaha lawmaker vowed to block his appointment over engagement with anti-LGBTQ social media posts.
Bish's appointment leaves Pillen one more director spot to fill within HHS. The department has been without a permanent director of the Division of Behavioral Health since December.
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