The president of AT&T in Kansas is Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ choice to become the state’s next secretary of commerce.

David D. Kerr, who also serves as chairman of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, now awaits Senate confirmation as Sebelius’ appointment to replace Howard Fricke, who announced his retirement at the end of last year.

“During my administration, we’ve been very fortunate to have two great business leaders, John Moore and Howard Fricke, be willing to enter public service and lead the Department of Commerce,” Sebelius said, in a statement. “They set a high standard, but I’m confident David will be able to meet that standard and bring the same excellent leadership to this critical post.”

Kerr became chairman of the state chamber last year, and is a regional commander of the Kansas Cavalry, a statewide business organization.

Kerr started work in 1979 for Southwestern Bell, which was later renamed SBC. Kerr became president of SBC-Kansas in 2003, and continued to lead the organization after its 2005 merger with AT&T by serving as president of AT&T-Kansas.