Governor names acting DED director

Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed an acting director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The move represents a second interim choice since a permanent solution failed early last year due to state Senate refusal.

Mike Downing, deputy director and director of business development for the DED, has been named to the position. Effective immediately, he succeeds Chris Pieper, who has returned to the governor's staff as a senior legal and policy adviser, according to a news release.

Pieper was chosen as acting director in February 2012 after Nixon's appointment of Jason Hall ultimately did not come to fruition. Hall, who stayed on as a deputy director of the DED, resigned after the Missouri Senate's Gubernatorial Appointments Committee refused to vote to confirm Nixon's appointment. Hall had been tapped to succeed two-year director David Kerr after his resignation, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Downing first joined the DED in 1982 and has served under seven governors. He rejoined the department in 2010 after a stint as executive director of the nonprofit Missouri Core Partnership.

"With more than 30 years of service in the field of economic development, Mike is one of the most experienced and respected economic development officials in the country," Nixon said in the release. "Mike has worked closely with me to revitalize Missouri's auto industry, strengthen our supplier network and implement our Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth."