ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

In an announcement Tuesday, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe said he will nominate the current director of the Missouri Department of Corrections to continue to run the agency, which has a budget of nearly $1 billion.

Trevor Foley took over the department last year after the departure of former Director Anne Precythe.

“Acting Director Foley brings years of valuable experience to the Missouri Department of Corrections and is a well-respected leader in state government,� Kehoe said. “I look forward to working with Trevor and his team to help DOC continue to lead the nation in improving lives for safer communities.�

Foley began his career with the Missouri Department of Corrections as a budget analyst in January 2000. He later spent time as an appropriations analyst in the state Senate before returning to DOC as budget and finance chief in 2018.

“I’m grateful to Governor-Elect Kehoe for this opportunity to continue my service to the state of Missouri,� Foley said. “I will continue to advocate for the interests of corrections staff, the safety of our communities, and the needs of the people we serve.�

If confirmed by the Senate, Foley will oversee an agency that employs 10,300 workers across 19 prisons. There currently are about 24,500 inmates behind bars in the state facilities.

Employee turnover because of difficult working conditions and low pay has dogged the department in recent years. After hitting a turnover rate of more than 30% last year, the department is projecting the number of people leaving the agency will level off at 29%, according to budget documents submitted to the governor’s budget office.

The department recently opened a new training facility in Cameron and is set to open a new wing in Vandalia where female inmates can live with their newborn babies.

His appointment comes as the union representing prison guards endorsed Kehoe’s opponent, Democrat Crystal Quade.

Foley also faces a civil lawsuit connected to the December 2023 death of inmate Othel Moore.

Recently released video of the final moments before Moore’s death at the Jefferson City Correctional Center shows him lying motionless with a mask covering his face, hands restrained behind his back and legs bound together as a guard watches from outside the cell.

Four former staffers at the prison have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Charges against a fifth were dropped. The warden of the prison was fired.

A criminal complaint alleges that guards pepper-sprayed Moore, placed a mask over his face and left him in a position that caused him to suffocate.

Foley marks the latest holdover from Gov. Mike Parson’s administration to land a job in the future Kehoe administration.

Along with keeping Ken Zellers as commissioner of the Office of Administration, Kehoe has asked budget director Dan Haug, Department of Economic Development Director Michelle Hataway and Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn to stay on board when he takes office in January.