Alabama Rep. Randall Shedd has been hired to serve as Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger’s director of constituent affairs beginning next week.

Shedd will resign from the House seat he has held since winning a special election in 2013.

“Rep. Shedd has a reputation as one of the most responsive, hardest working, and tenacious members of the Alabama House, and I know he will bring that same dedication to his new position in the pro tem’s office,” Gudger said in a press release.

“He has a long and distinguished record in elected office, and this job will allow him to continue serving the needs of his fellow Alabamians.”

Shedd said deciding to step away from the House was difficult, but he looks forward to joining Gudger’s team in working to make “an already great state even better.”

“Serving in the Alabama Legislature has been a boyhood dream of mine since I was 12 years old, and I am very thankful that God blessed me with that opportunity,” Shedd said in a press release.

“Leaving the House is bittersweet, but continuing my public service with a strong and energetic young leader like Pro Tem Gudger is a welcome offer that I am most happy to accept.”

Elected to his first public office almost a half-century ago, Shedd is a former chairman of the Cullman County Commission and was mayor of Fairview, his hometown, from 1996 until 2012. He currently serves as House Majority Whip, which is the third highest position in the Republican Caucus’ leadership structure and chairs the House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Committee. A former chair of the House Urban and Rural Development Committee, Shedd largely spearheaded the body’s years-long efforts to expand high-speed broadband access throughout rural areas of Alabama. As a retired director of the Cullman County Commission on Aging, he has also been a consistent and strong voice for senior citizens and their needs while serving the Legislature.