(a) There is established within the office of the governor, on a temporary basis and for special purposes, the office of wellness and resilience. (b) The office shall be headed by an executive director, who shall be appointed by the governor without regard to chapter76, and who shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. (c) The governor may use moneys from existing, unfilled staff positions from other executive branch agencies to appoint additional staff for the office. Staff appointed pursuant to this subsection shall be exempt from chapters 76 and 89 but shall be members of the state employees’ retirement system and shall be eligible to receive the benefits of any state employee benefit program generally applicable to officers and employees of the State. (d) Department directors may assign additional employees from existing positions within their respective department to the office; provided that the employees shall represent their respective department’s needs and shall have direct communication with the respective department’s leadership during the course of their assignment with the office.
