CEO Peter Brownlie steps down from Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri March 31

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri says retiring CEO Peter Brownlie’s last day will be March 31.

Planned Parenthood lobbyist Elise Higgins said Tuesday that Vice President of Finance Ron Ellefrits will take over as interim CEO until the organization names a more permanent replacement for Brownlie.

Brownlie announced in November that he would retire after serving as the Planned Parenthood chapter’s top administrator since August 1999.

During his tenure, his organization has challenged anti-abortion laws enacted by Kansas legislators and been the subject of a lengthy but now-dismissed criminal case. Brownlie has been the public face of the organization and a key figure in the state’s abortion rights movement.

Brownlie also has been an administrator with Planned Parenthood affiliates in Michigan, Indiana and Texas.

This story was originally published February 26, 2014 at 7:26 AM with the headline "CEO Peter Brownlie steps down from Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri March 31."