St. Louis consultant tapped as personnel director

Gov. Jay Nixon's nominee for the state personnel director position is a veteran of private-sector human resources.

Nixon nominated Bill Miller for the post, the state Office of Administration announced Wednesday. Pending Missouri Senate confirmation, Miller will begin his duties in December.

Miller was most recently administrator of corporate human resources at Lutheran Senior Services in St. Louis. He also is president of The Miller Co. LLC, a human-resources consulting company. His résumé also includes work as vice president of human resources and support services for St. Mary's Hospital of East St. Louis and as engineer and administrator of employee relations at McDonnell Douglas.

"As we continue moving Missouri forward through these troubling economic times, Mr. Miller will be shouldering the responsibility of motivating and encouraging our work force, which must do more with less," Office of Administration Commissioner Kelvin Simmons said in a news release. "His work history shows that he is more than up to this challenge."

State statute requires that the state Personnel Advisory Board select five personnel director candidates to submit to the governor, who then chooses from the list with advice and consent of the state Senate.