December 20, 2008 - Governor-elect Jay Nixon has his intention to name Karen K. Mitchell as the next Director of Revenue.Ms. Mitchell, 50, currently serves as the Chief Deputy Attorney General, a position she has held since February, 1999. She graduated with a bachelors degree from the University of Missouri in 1981 and graduated from the University of Missouri - Kansas City law school in 1984. She is a recipient of the Missouri Bar Foundation Award for Outstanding Appellate Advocacy and the Ray Marvin Award, which recognizes outstanding assistant attorneys general nationally.
“During these challenging economic times, we must have a Director of Revenue who understands state government and has fresh ideas about how to make the Department more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of Missourians,” Gov.-elect Nixon said. “I’ve worked closely with Karen Mitchell for the past 16 years, and I couldn’t ask for a better manager and professional to assume this important position in my administration. As Governor, I plan to revolutionize how the Department of Revenue does business, ending the system of political patronage for license fee offices and bringing many motor vehicle transactions online. Karen has been instrumental in developing these plans, and I know she’ll do an excellent job putting them into action. Together, we’re going to save money and improve service for Missourians.”
“Gov.-elect Nixon is committed to moving the Department of Revenue and the entire state government in a new direction, and I’m honored to have this opportunity to help bring about real change for Missourians,” Ms. Mitchell said. “From Day One, we’re going to hit the ground running. We’ll start the process of competitively bidding all the state’s license fee offices and expanding online services. As the national economic crisis continues, we’re going to use taxpayer dollars responsibly, and we will look for additional opportunities to save time and money for Missouri families. I look forward to continuing my career in public service under Gov.-elect Nixon’s administration.”
"Associated Industries of Missouri congratulates and welcomes Ms. Mitchell and we look forward to working with her to continue to achieve efficiencies in tax operations through informal meetings with the Department," said Ray McCarty, president of AIM and executive director of the Taxpayers Research Institute of Missouri. "These meetings have resulted in savings through elimination of unnecessary processes in the Departments of Revenue and Natural Resources and have increased cooperation between taxpayers and the tax collection department."
