Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee announced Monday that she will leave her post at the end of September to take a new job.

Lee, who has been with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s administration since March 2005, has accepted a position as the CEO of Pioneer Human Services in Seattle. The non-profit organization has more than 1,000 employees across Washington at more than 50 locations, who deliver an integrated mix of social, health, economic and employment services to people on the margins of society.

Prior to joining the Gregoire administration, Lee was head of gas operations for Puget Sound Energy. Lee currently is president of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. Her term ends in mid-September, shortly before leaving Employment Security.
Gregoire said she will immediately begin searching for Lee’s successor.