TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback today announced that Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) Rob Siedlecki will be stepping down to take a position with the State of Florida to be closer to his family.

“On behalf of all Kansans, Lt. Governor Colyer and I want to express our thanks and appreciation to Secretary Siedlecki for his service to Kansas. We wish him continued success in all his future endeavors,” Governor Brownback said.

Siedlecki has more than 16 years of public and private sector leadership experience at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to joining the Brownback Administration last January, he served as the chief of staff for the Florida Department of Health which has 17,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly three-billion dollars. He also worked for four years in the federal government’s Administration for Children and Families which oversees more than 60 programs, including Head Start, the Healthy Marriage Initiative, runaway and homeless youth programs, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

“I promised Gov. Brownback one year to transform SRS to make it more effective and efficient and that we have done so. We initiated an aggressive anti-fraud campaign, made adoption a priority, promoted work rather than dependence in our welfare programs, and laid the groundwork for a more child and family-focused department. Governor Brownback is a true statesman and I was honored to serve under him. While I am returning to my home state of Florida, Kansas and Kansans will have special places in my heart. Kansas hospitality is real,” Siedlecki said.

Sec. Siedlecki’s last day will be December 31, 2011.