Former OSPB official and School Facilities Board executive director John Arnold will return to the governor’s budget agency as the replacement for Eileen Klein, who was promoted to chief of staff for Gov. Jan Brewer.

Brewer announced the appointment on Oct. 23, three days after it was announced that Klein would replace Kevin Tyne as the governor’s chief of staff. Brewer also announced that Dean Gray, who had served as deputy director of the School Facilities Board, would replace Arnold as executive director.

“Mr. Arnold possesses a deep understanding of the budget process in Arizona, having been involved with state financing for over 12 years, ” Brewer stated in a press release. “I have the utmost confidence in John’s ability to help lead our state through these challenging economic times.”

Arnold has years of experience in the realm of education, which Brewer has frequently cited as one of her top budget priorities. Arnold served at OSPB previously as the agency’s education manager under former Gov. Jane Hull, and rejoined the agency for a brief period in 2002 to assist in the transition between budget directors. As education manager, Arnold was responsible for all K-12 and higher education budgets.

As executive director of the School Facilities Board, the organization built 123 new schools, distributed $270 million in building renovation funds and launched an energy efficiency program. Arnold served from 2006-2008 on the Governor’s Growth Cabinet, where he reviewed and planned for long-term infrastructure needs related to growth, and has also been working with the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery to oversee the distribution of approximately $300 million in money from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, a pool of stimulus money dedicated to education.