Revenue names Ken Zellers as COO

Ken Zellers
Ken Zellers

Former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Ken Zellers is the Missouri Revenue Department's new chief operating officer.

He began working for the state Monday and will earn $120,000 a year.

Zellers' job is an internal position, and his hiring isn't subject to Senate confirmation.

For years the job has been known as the department's deputy director; but, spokeswoman Michelle Gleba told the News Tribune, the COO title is being used because his role will be more "operations focused" than the deputy director previously has been.

Zellers will be responsible for all DOR "operational aspects," the department said in the news release announcing his hiring, including the Tax; Motor Vehicle and Driver License; and Administration divisions.

He also will oversee the department's transformation "in terms of organizational design, infrastructure, performance assessment and culture," according to the DOR news release.

"Ken has dedicated his career to developing and implementing processes that improve quality and efficiency while reducing cost," DOR Director Joel Walters said in the release. "He is a proven leader and will bring strong skills to the department."

Walters said Zellers' skills "will make a tremendous difference in our plans to raise the bar strategically and operationally," to benefit both the department and Missourians.

Zellers holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis.

He most recently served as Anheuser-Busch InBev's global quality director, responsible for "improving the overall customer/consumer experience by collecting and analyzing relevant global call center data," the DOR news release said.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a global consumer products company with more than 200,000 employees worldwide and about $60 billion in annual sales.

Zellers also served on the company's North American Wholesaler Advisory Board, representing Anheuser-Busch InBev and more than 750 U.S. distribution centers and product wholesalers.

In previous Anheuser-Busch InBev positions, Zellers was senior director of human resource operations, a member of the Human Resource Operating Committee, and the company's Global Compensation director.