Mich. governor names Roberts new budget director after Nixon takes job at University of Utah

2/13/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder has named his deputy chief of staff as the new state budget director because John Nixon is stepping down for a job in Utah.

Deputy chief of staff John Roberts will become budget director March 1. Nixon also directs the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. That job will be filled by David Behen, Michigan’s chief information officer.

The Republican governor announced the moves Thursday.

Nixon will be chief business officer at the University of Utah. Before becoming Snyder’s budget director in 2011, he held a similar role in Utah.

Snyder’s deputy legal counsel Beth Clement will replace Roberts as deputy chief of staff.

Snyder says Nixon’s impact is “immeasurable” but says finding highly qualified candidates from within “speaks to the depth of talent across our administration.”