JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Senate has confirmed a longtime employee of the Missouri Department of Social Services to be the agency's new director.
Brian Kinkade has served as the department's acting director since last May and also was acting director from 2011 to 2012. With his confirmation on Thursday, Kinkade becomes the agency's permanent director.
Kinkade's tenure at the Social Services Department spans the past five gubernatorial administrations. He previously was the agency's deputy director and head of its divisions of Budget and Finance and Child Support Enforcement.
The Social Services Department oversees the state's Medicaid and other welfare programs.
He also served as executive director of the Missouri Public Service Commission and was a budget analyst for the state Senate Appropriations Committee. x