Idaho Department of Correction Director Kevin Kempf is resigning to take a job as the executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
Kempf gave the state Board of Correction his resignation on Monday, he said in an email, calling the decision "bittersweet."
In the email, he said the state is headed in a good direction, crediting lawmakers, the governor's office, members of the state judiciary and other criminal justice officials for working together. He said that his new role leading the national association will allow him to lobby for correctional professionals on a national level.
The state's correctional system has undergone major changes since Kempf became the prison director in 2014, including phasing out the use of solitary confinement.
The Board of Correction is expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss potential replacements for Kempf and make related decisions.