Columbia resident named director of state Revenue Department

COLUMBIA — Columbia resident Omar Davis will become director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, and Todd Smith will replace him as director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Gov. Matt Blunt announced Thursday.

“Both Omar Davis and Todd Smith have helped me reduce the size of state government by answering my call to implement new efficiencies and reduce fraud and waste, all while improving customer service for Missourians,” Blunt said in a news release.

Davis, 32, follows Acting Director Julie A. Allen, who was appointed in November. He has served as the director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations since September, Labor Department spokeswoman Wanda Seeney said.

He has also served as director of the Legal Services Division, general counsel for the Department of Revenue, and deputy general counsel for the governor.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kansas State University and a law degree from the University of Missouri.

The Revenue Department is responsible for collecting taxes, titling and registering motor vehicles and issuing drivers’ licenses.

David Griffith, spokesman for the department, said he believed the transition will be smooth. He said Davis gained experience with the inner workings of the department when he served as general counsel.

Smith, 48, is now deputy director for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The department regulates unemployment benefits and taxes, worker’s compensation, minimum wage and other work-related matters.

Smith previously worked as director of legislative affairs under Blunt. He also served as a representative in the Missouri General Assembly from 1984 to 1994 and from 2002 to 2006. He was the presiding commissioner of Pettis County between terms.

He formerly worked in manufacturing and was co-owner of an advertising and public relations company.