Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday named a longtime state health official as the agency's new “acting director,” a designation that will allow her to begin work immediately without going through a potentially grueling Senate confirmation process that derailed the Republican governor's last health chief.
Parson picked Paula Nickelson, who has served in the Department of Health and Senior Services for more than 22 years, as the agency's new leader. He said the acting title could last indefinitely, potentially through the remaining three years of his term as governor.
