OLYMPIA — Marty Brown, the governor's budget chief, is leaving to become executive director of the state community- and technical-college system.

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges announced his appointment after a special meeting in Tacoma on Friday.

Brown earned $160,608 in 2011 as Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget director. As the college system's executive director, he'll earn $189,150.

Brown, 60, will replace retiring executive director Charlie Earl, who is 65. Earl made $173,448 in 2011, according to state records.

Office of Financial Management Deputy Director Stan Marshburn will replace Brown as Gregoire's budget director.

"I think the community and technical colleges play a key role not only in education but in economic development in our state, touching hundreds of thousands of Washington residents every year," Brown said in an email. "I'm excited by the opportunity to serve the community and technical college system and the people in it."

He is expected to begin his new job in mid-September.

The state operates 34 public community and technical colleges. Brown will be executive director of the nine-member Board for Community and Technical Colleges that oversees the system. Board members are appointed by the governor.

Brown has been a longtime fixture at the governor's office, and in state government. He started out in 1978 as a committee staff member for the state Senate, later working as a Democratic caucus attorney, Senate Democratic staff director and secretary of the Senate.

Former Democratic Gov. Gary Locke brought Brown onto his staff in 1997, and he worked as Locke's legislative affairs director and later as his budget director.

Brown held both those posts under Gregoire as well.

Gregoire is not running for re-election and the clock is running out on her time in office, so it's to be expected that her staff will head out the door for other jobs.

Earl was executive director of the state Board of Community and Technical Colleges for six years.

During Earl's tenure, state-funded enrollment at the colleges grew from 250,000 to 330,000 students.

But in the past four years, the Legislature cut funding to community and technical colleges, and Earl has warned that the cuts would reduce enrollment. This year, the colleges saw state-funded enrollments drop by about 16,000, or 5 percent.

This story includes material from The Seattle Times archives.

Andrew Garber: 360-236-8266 or agarber@seattletimes.com.