In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,

1. (1) “agency” means a department, office, agency, public corporation, board, commission, authority, or other organizational unit of the executive branch;
2. (2) “department” means the Department of Administration;
3. (3) “director of personnel” means the director of personnel appointed under AS 39.25.040;
4. (4) “division of personnel” means the division of personnel established by AS 39.25.030;
5. (5) “employment in the executive branch of state government” includes employment as a permanent, probationary, provisional, nonpermanent, or temporary employee in the classified, partially exempt, or exempt services in the executive branch of state government;
6. (6) “member of a protected class” means a person protected by federal or state laws that prohibit discrimination in employment or a person who experiences or has experienced difficulty in obtaining employment or advancement in employment because of another factor not related to merit.