Topeka ? Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday defended hiring Jim Mann as his administration’s chief information technology officer despite questions that have surfaced about Mann’s educational background.

“The education was not a factor in his hiring,” Brownback said. Brownback said Mann, 58, was hired because of his work experience.

On his resume, Mann said he received a business administration degree from the University of Devonshire, which in reports has been called an unaccredited diploma mill.

Brownback said his administration did not conduct a thorough check on the schools Mann attended, but instead checked job performance with his past employers.

He said Mann, who is being paid $150,000 per year, will be judged on how he performs in his new position.

Brownback said he doesn’t believe Mann tried to mislead his administration when interviewing for the job.

Brownback said it is not unusual for information technology employees to lack degrees. He said when he was state agriculture secretary, “My IT guy was a former meat cutter.”