The Missouri Lottery Commission on Monday named its longtime chief financial officer, Larry Jansen, as the agency's new executive director.

Jansen, 49, of Jefferson City, is a certified public accountant and has worked as the lottery's controller and chief financial officer since the lottery's inception in 1986.

Under his direction, the Lottery has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada's Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting the past five years.

He replaces Jim Scroggins, who resigned in June after 13 years at the lottery's helm to become executive director of the new Oklahoma Lottery.

"We have a lot of challenges," Jansen said, including stretching the agency's administrative resources in an era of deep budget cuts by state government.

Lottery chairwoman Barbara Pickering of Mexico, Mo., praised Jansen's tenure at the agency, noting he has been "a leader in cross-organizational teams for nearly all major operation initiatives" launched by the lottery for more than a decade.

The five-member Missouri Lottery Commission governs the lottery, while the executive director oversees its daily operations.