LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen filled a key Department of Health and Human Services position that had been vacant for months. Pillen appointed Alyssa Bish as the department's director of Children and Family Services, which had been vacant since December, when Pillen opted not to retain the division's former director, Stephanie Beasley, after he was elected governor.

Bish, who will begin in her new role Dec. 28, has been the director of personnel within the Missouri Office of Administration since February. She also served as the director of strategy and leadership development for the state. A Nebraska native who studied communications at Wayne State College, Bish previously worked for Missouri’s Department of Social Services and in the state’s Children’s Division where she focused on improving the quality of foster care services and decreasing the backlog of cases.

“In addition to the success she has had, Alyssa brings a passion for helping children and families through difficult times," Pillen said in the news release. "I look forward to working with Alyssa as she brings that passion to this role at DHHS.” The state will pay Bish $175,000 annually. Beasley's annual salary before she left the job was $169,747.

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