JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed a veteran executive of health care systems as director of the Department of Social Services.
Alan O. Freeman is president and CEO of Grace Hill Health Centers, which operates five health care centers and a community health program in St. Louis.
The appointment was announced Tuesday and requires confirmation by the state Senate.
Freeman will replace Brian Kinkade, who has been acting social services director since June 2011. Kinkade will remain with the department as deputy director.
Freeman is president of the board of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network. He has also held senior leadership positions for hospitals and health centers in southeastern and west-central Missouri and other parts of the state.