Subd. 1. Appointment.

1. (a) The board shall appoint an executive director. The executive director shall serve in the unclassified service at the pleasure of the board. The executive director must be a resident of the state of Minnesota and citizen of the United States. Preferably, the executive director shall be a veteran as that term is defined in section 197.447, but it is not required that the person be a veteran. The executive director shall serve as secretary of the board.
2. (b) When selecting an executive director, the board shall give preference to qualified applicants who are veterans by initially placing only the names of qualified applicants who are veterans on the selection list for final consideration. If the list contains fewer than three qualified applicants who are veterans, the names of qualified applicants who are not veterans shall be added to the list. The board shall then select the most qualified applicant from the list. At any point in the executive director selection process, if the board concludes that no applicant is sufficiently qualified for the position, the board may reopen the application process.

Subd. 2. Powers and duties.

The executive director appointed under subdivision 1 has the powers and duties delegated by the board or assigned to the executive director by law. A delegation must be in writing, signed by the board chair, and filed with the secretary of state.