BEAUMONT — Shanna Burke, a longtime employee with the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission, was tapped to serve as interim executive director as Shaun Davis leaves to work in the private sector.

“Thank you for the opportunity to run this organization,” Burke told a crowded room during Wednesday’s meeting in Beaumont. Next month, she will have served at the organization for 21 years. She currently serves as human resources director and disaster recovery director.

“I love this organization and I love the people in this organization,” she said.

Burke will officially begin serving as interim director effective Sept. 22 until a permanent executive director is chosen, Chris Kirkendall, president, said.

In order to permanently fill the executive director’s position, a search committee was formed consisting of the SETRPC executive officers, which include:

• President — Commissioner Chris Kirkendall, Hardin County, chairman
• First vice president — Commissioner John Gothia, Orange County
• Second vice president — Mayor Rebecca Ford, city of Bevil Oaks
• Third vice president — Mayor Pro Tem Mary Adams, city of Kountze
• Treasurer — Councilmember Kirk Roccaforte, city of Bridge City
• Secretary — Commissioner Michael “Shane” Sinegal, Jefferson County

Shaun Davis, in his last meeting as executive director, gave a few words of thanks as the meeting came to an end.

“The work here has been the work of my life,” Davis said. “That’s all due to you guys. They handed us stuff we had never done before and we did more than outstanding work in discovery recovery. You can just be extremely proud of that. I’m not leaving for a better job, one doesn’t exist.”

Davis is going to work as vice president and executive program director for AECOM, an $18 billion Fortune 500 company.

The work will bring him and his wife closer to their grandchildren, something he looks forward to, he said.

SETRPC is a voluntary association of local governments that serves Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties. The SETRPC is one of 24 Regional Planning Councils that serves all of Texas, according to information from the organization. It provides assistance in grant and budget administration, community services such as Meals on Wheels and Agency on Aging to disaster recovery, homeless initiative and criminal justice and homeland security and 911 emergency network to name a few.