The Idaho Board of Correction has appointed Henry Atencio as the new director of prisons two days after his predecessor, Kevin Kempf, gave his resignation notice.
The board unanimously appointed Atencio to the position Wednesday. The Idaho Senate must now ratify Atencio's appointment during the 2017 legislative session.
Atencio has been with the department for 26 years and has served as the deputy director since 2014. The number two spot was created after Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said he wanted all of his state agencies to have a succession plan in place in case of an unexpected departure.
Atencio's salary will be $145,000 a year — a slight increase from the $140,000 salary paid to Kempf.
Kempf announced Monday he was taking a job as the executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.