Longtime Georgia Bureau of Investigation director, Vernon Keenan, announced he will be retiring as of January 1, 2019, according to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Following a meeting with Governor-elect Brian Kemp Keenan made the announcement to his staff.

Unclear still is who will fill Keenan’s veteran shoes.

Keenan, originally from Waycross, joined law enforcement as a young man after receiving a scholarship from the Dept. of Justice to study criminal justice.

Keenan worked his way up in the Bureau’s ranks, as a special agent, assistant director, and finally, as director after an appointment by then-Governor Sonny Purdue in January 2003.