The National Council on Problem Gambling has put an outside turnaround specialist in charge while it looks for a permanent leader. Charles H. Jeffers II has taken over as interim executive director with immediate effect, the Washington-based nonprofit said in a press release on Monday .

The appointment comes one month after the council announced on September 26 that executive director Heather Maurer was resigning. Maurer stayed on through October 16 to help with the handover, and the board said at the time that a national search for her successor had already started.

Permanent search pushed to January

That search now has a firmer timetable. According to board president Derek Longmeier, recruitment of a permanent chief starts in January 2027, with the executive search firm Vetted Solutions leading the process.…