BOISE - The Idaho Board of Correction has appointed Kevin Kempf as the new director of prisons one week after his predecessor, Brent Reinke, gave his resignation notice.

The board made the appointment during a special meeting Wednesday, but the choice wasn't a surprise. Kempf has been with the department for 19 years and has served as the deputy director since 2012. That position was created by the board after Gov. Butch Otter said he wanted all of his state agencies to have a succession plan in place in case of an unexpected departure.

Kempf's salary will be $140,000 a year - a substantial increase over the $126,000 annual salary paid to Reinke, according to a state database of employee wages. J.R. Van Tassel, the only person on the three-member Board of Correction to vote against Kempf's appointment, said he was glad Kempf was getting the spot but voted no because he wasn't comfortable with the salary increase.

After the meeting, Kempf said he didn't anticipate making any big changes at the department in the immediate future.

"My first step will be sitting down with the Board of Correction and making sure that I am in line with their priorities, what direction they would like us to go," Kempf said. "I foresee that we're going to be on the same path that we are. We have a lot of big initiatives: Justice reinvestment, ISCC (Idaho State Correctional Center) transition, all of those things that are going to require all of our attention."

Idaho took over the Idaho State Correctional Center earlier this year, after private prison company Corrections Corporation of America acknowledged it had understaffed the prison by thousands of hours in violation of its $29 million state contract. The FBI is currently investigating the understaffing and other issues involving the CCA contract to see if fraud or other criminal charges are appropriate.

The scandal became the main talking point of the midterm election during the gubernatorial race, with Otter's Democratic opponent criticizing the governor's administration's handling of the matter and the $1 million settlement the state reached with CCA.

Reinke, who has served as IDOC director for eight years - longer than any prisons director in Idaho history - dramatically increased oversight at the private prison and repeatedly asked if his department could put in a bid to run the troubled prison. But he was rebuffed by the governor-appointed Board of Correction, and Otter remained a champion of prison privatization until an Associated Press investigation revealed that CCA was falsifying state reports to hide the understaffing. Reinke also oversaw the department as the state executed two death row inmates - the first executions in Idaho since 1994.

After Reinke's resignation, Otter issued a statement thanking Reinke for his effort, enthusiasm and empathy in the job and lauding his hard work and commitment.

Reinke, meanwhile, has declined to give interviews or comment about his departure.

Kempf started as a correctional officer at the Pocatello Women's Correctional Center, and from there worked his way up through the operational side of the department, serving as parole officer, investigator, supervisor, manager, warden and chief of prisons.

The board members attended Wednesday's meeting by phone, and spent most of the meeting in closed executive session. They didn't offer any comments about the leadership change during the public portion of the meeting.

Board Chairman Robin Sandy issued a prepared statement citing Kempf's qualifications and extensive experience within the department.

"As he has risen through the ranks, his focus has remained on the front lines where correctional staff has the difficult and often dangerous job of managing felony offenders," Sandy wrote.

As IDOC director, Kempf oversees nine prisons, four community re-entry centers and seven probation and parole districts. The department employs nearly 2,000 people with an annual budget of $220 million.