South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission Executive Director Gary Cannon is retiring next month after 16 years on the job. The commission has named Kristen McRee, the director of administrative services at the agency, as the new director, starting Nov. 1.
Cannon said he’s looking forward to some free time.
“After 50 years of working, it’s time to start a new chapter,” he told Insurance Journal.
He plans to take about six months off, without commitments, to enjoy a little leisure time. “I guess I can’t play golf every day, but I’ll think of something,” he said.
Cannon is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who holds a master’s degree in public administration. He was named director of the Workers’ Compensation Commission in 2009 and has overseen the agency through several organizational changes, the COVID pandemic, and some financial and technological challenges.
“We thank Director Cannon for his years of service to the commission and the citizens of South Carolina, and wish him well in his retirement,” the commission said in a statement.
McRee joined the commission in 2021 as a staff attorney and was promoted to director of administrative services two years later. There, she was responsible for monitoring compliance with state and federal laws, developing internal policies and procedures, overseeing the commission’s finance and budgetary operations, as well as overseeing human resources programs, the agency said.
Prior to that, McRee practiced workers’ comp law, representing claimants and employers/carriers. She had also served as a staff member for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. McRee graduated from George Mason University with a degree in sociology, and earned her law degree from Widener University Commonwealth School of Law.
Topics
Workers’ Compensation
South Carolina
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