Director of Commerce Donna Owens has appointed Rob Patchen as chief of the Bureau of Licensing and Certification, and Verne Ord as acting chief of the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulation (BUSTR). The appointments, both internal promotions, take effect Monday.

"Both Rob and Verne have been a tremendous asset to this Department, and I am confident that they will continue to succeed in their new roles," Director Owens said.

Patchen is currently chief of BUSTR. In his new position, he will coordinate the management, scheduling and administration of the various licenses, certificates, testing processes, registrations and permitting processes related to Ohio's construction industry. The bureau is within the Division of Industrial Compliance. He replaces Alphrena Ord, who left to continue her education.

Prior to being chief of BUSTR, Patchen served for two years as the Division of Industrial Compliance's Legal Counsel. In this position, he provided legal advice to the Superintendent of Industrial Compliance. He also coordinated regulatory enforcement actions and reviewed all legal matters pending the division. Prior to joining the Division of Industrial Compliance, Patchen served as an Assistant Attorney General for 9 years as a trial counsel for the Department of Industrial Relations, legal counsel for various State of Ohio boards and commissions, and in-house and trial counsel for the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulation.

Patchen earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law, and he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. He currently resides in Columbus.

Ord now serves as assistant bureau chief for BUSTR. In his new position, he will oversee the regulation of Ohio' underground storage tanks. Prior his current position, he served eight years in various positions within BUSTR. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with American Electric Power, in their Meigs Mining Division.

Ord has an associates degree in mining technology from Pikeville College, Kentucky, and Bachelor of Science in Geology from Marietta College. He currently resides in Reynoldsburg.