Commissioner of Administration Kelvin Simmons

The head of the Office of Administration has announced he will step down from that post February 1.

Kelvin Simmons has served as Commissioner of Administration since November 2008. Prior to that Simmons has served as Governor Mel Carnahan’s Director of Constituent Services and as a Kansas City councilman. His first position in Missouri state government in 1993 as the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity in the Office of Administration.

The Governor’s Office credits Simmons with leading initiatives including a comprehensive review of all state contracts, renegotiation of state leases and a reduction in the size of the state fleet. He also oversaw work to modernize and expand the state government’s internet presence and lead the Governor’s MoBroadbandNow initiative.

In a statement, Governor Jay Nixon said this of Simmons:

“From my first day in office, Kelvin has been a critical member of my team to make government smarter and more effective. Under Kelvin’s leadership, we have dramatically expanded our use of the Internet to deliver faster service at lower costs; reduced the physical footprint of state government; enhanced diversity in state hiring and contracts; and saved millions of dollars through smarter and more effective practices. We’ve also balanced our budget every year, held the line on taxes, and preserved Missouri’s spotless Triple-A credit rating. I thank Kelvin for his long and dedicated service to the people of Missouri.”

Simmons offers this statement:

“I thank Gov. Nixon for the opportunity to be a part of his outstanding team over the past three years. It was been an honor to work closely with the dedicated men and women of the Office of Administration as we’ve worked each and every day to make state government more efficient, effective and accountable to the taxpayers. I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken to cut costs, expand our Web presence and create a smarter, faster government for the people of our state.”

The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Doug Nelson, will serve as interim Commissioner of Administration.