Governor appoints longtime state worker as department chief
JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed budget director Mike McVay to head the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information.
McVay will assume the director's duties on Jan. 31. He replaces Ron Ommen, who resigned this week effective on that date.
McVay, 59, who is director of the budget division of the Department of Administration and Information, has worked for the state for nearly 33 years, including 30 years with the budget office.
His salary will the same as Ommen's, $121,325 per year.
"The executive branch has long relied on Mike for his careful study of the state's budget, his innovative way of thinking and his discerning mind," Freudenthal said in a release Thursday.
"I know his considerable skills and understanding of the department will help him in managing this agency," he added.
The department is one of the largest state agencies, with multiple divisions including the office of the director, budget, construction management, economic analysis, general services, human resources, information technology, professional licensing boards, the office of the chief information officer and the State Library.
"It's going to be challenging," McVay said Thursday.
Although he is familiar with all functions of the aspects of the big department, he never had to manage it before.
Shortly after he took office last March, Ommen said he was exploring a revamp of the state government's human resources system, including establishing a merit pay system.
McVay said human resources will be a priority, as it was with Ommen and Ommen's predecessor, Earl Kabeiseman.
"I don't think we're where anybody wants us to be," McVay said. "That's one of the governor's priorities, is working on that and getting a system that works for the employees and the Legislature."
A goal would be to make the pay system more transparent to everyone, he said.
Because he hasn't been involved in that part of the department, he said doesn't know what progress has been made so far.
Because of his budget responsibilities, McVay said will wear two hats for a while and won't be able to start digging into the human resources issue until after the Legislature's budget session ends in early March.
Before joining the budget division, McVay worked as a social worker for what was then known as the Department of Health and Social Services. He served in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star while in the U.S. Army.
McVay graduated from the University of Wyoming with a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's in history.
McVay's successor as director of the budget division is Richard Cox, currently budget analyst for the Department of Administration and Information, and the Department of Health. Cox said he has been with the state for as long as McVay.
Capital bureau reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at joan.barron@trib.com.