John Watson, executive director of the $8.1 billion Missouri State Employees' Retirement System, Jefferson City, left the pension fund, said spokeswoman Candy Smith in an email.
His last day was Jan. 18, Ms. Smith said. She did not know his plans, and did not provide further information. Ronda Stegmann, legislative and policy coordinator, has been named interim executive director.
MOSERS in December issued an RFP for an executive search firm to search for an executive director because Mr. Watson's contract was set to expire on Aug. 31, 2018. Mr. Watson had been executive director since Sept. 1, 2015.
In a statement upon the release of the RFP, Shannon Owens, chairwoman of the MOSERS board of trustees, said: "On behalf of the MOSERS board of trustees, I would like to thank John for his many years of service to the state of Missouri and his leadership at MOSERS. John has led the retirement system through significant changes while maintaining high quality service to our members. The board is grateful to John for his important contributions."
Mr. Watson could not be reached for comment.
