Ken Severn has been hired as an interim president by the Washington Apple Commission, after the group decided to remove current president Dave Carlson two weeks ago.

Mr Severn was interim president for four months in 2000, and the Commission board voted unanimously to hire him back to the position, according to the Wenatchee World.

He will take up his position on 1 September, when Mr Carlson formally goes on administrative leave for an undetermined time.

Mr Severn has said he doesn’t know why Mr Carlson is being replaced after five years with the Commission. The group said it was a personnel matter and they wanted to head in a different direction, and Carlson had not done anything improper or illegal.