Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The director of the agency that oversees Mississippi government employees will be moving to a new job.

Deanne Mosley goes to work for the Mississippi Bar Association on March 1 and becomes the association's executive director May 1.

She will succeed Larry Houchins, who is retiring after 37 years. Mosley says the lawyers' group wanted a two-month transition.

Mosley, a Meridian native, is an attorney. She has been Mississippi State Personnel Board director since 2012. She said Tuesday that she plans to keep working there until sometime in February, giving Gov. Phil Bryant time to find a successor.

The Personnel Board oversees recruiting, hiring and workforce development for nearly 130 state agencies, boards, and commissions.

Some lawmakers advocate erasing Personnel Board oversight of employees as a way to trim government.