Section 44.29.135 - Officers and staff(a) The board, by a majority of its membership, shall annually elect a presiding officer and other officers it considers necessary from among its membership.(b) The board shall have a paid staff provided by the department, including an executive director who shall be selected by the board. The executive director is in the partially exempt service and may hire additional employees in the classified service of the state. The department shall provide for the assignment of personnel to the board to ensure the board has the capacity to fulfill its responsibilities. The executive director of the board shall be directly responsible to the board in the performance of the director's duty.