DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines lawyer working for Iowa Workforce Development as an administrative law judge has been named the new director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she appointed Elizabeth Johnson of Altoona to head the commission responsible for enforcing state civil rights laws designed to prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodations and education. Johnson was a civil rights specialist at the commission before she took her current job.

She begins Aug. 26 as commission executive director, a job subject to Iowa Senate confirmation. The commission’s interim director Linda Grathwohl left on July 25 without giving a reason other than planning to return to a position at Iowa Legal Aid. The previous permanent commission executive Kristin Johnson had the job for 3½ years. She resigned Jan. 2 as Reynolds began her first full term as governor.