(1) The department shall appoint an executive director who is a registered nurse currently licensed in this state and who has a graduate degree in nursing. The executive director shall have a minimum of five years’ experience within the last ten years in the areas of administration, teaching, or consultation in the field of nursing. The salary of the executive director shall be fixed by the department and be competitive with salaries for similar positions of responsibility which require similar education and experience. The executive director shall not be a member of the board. The executive director shall be administrator of the Nurse Licensure Compact. As administrator, the executive director shall give notice of withdrawal to the executive heads of all other party states within thirty days after the effective date of any statute repealing the compact enacted by the Legislature pursuant to Article X of the compact. The executive director serving on December 1, 2008, may continue serving until replaced by the department pursuant to this section.

(2) The department shall appoint a practice consultant and an education consultant, each of whom is a registered nurse currently licensed in this state and has a minimum of five years’ experience. On and after January 1, 1995, any person newly appointed to these positions shall also have a graduate degree in nursing. The salaries for these positions shall be fixed by the department and be competitive with salaries for similar positions of responsibility which require similar education. The nursing education consultant and nursing practice consultant shall not be members of the board.

(3) The department shall appoint one or more nurse investigators to conduct investigations of violations of the Nurse Practice Act. Each nurse investigator shall be a registered nurse currently licensed in this state and have a minimum of five years’ experience in nursing practice. The nurse investigators shall not be members of the board.