Former Speaker of the House Seth Hammett will end his tenure as interim chief of staff to Gov. Robert Bentley in two weeks.

Hammett – who represented Andalusia and Covington County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 32 years, and served as Speaker for 12 of those years – took the post on an interim basis in May of 2014.

“Last year, Gov. Robert Bentley asked me to join his administration as Chief of Staff as he worked to accomplish his legislative agenda and other strategic plans,” Hammett said Friday. “ From the outset, we mutually agreed that my service as Chief of Staff would end at the conclusion of the legislative session. While the process took a little longer than expected, my work here has been completed and I will be returning full time to PowerSouth where we will continue to work aggressively to bring new jobs and economic growth to our state.

“I have had the honor and privilege to serve as Director of the Alabama Development Office and now as Chief of Staff for Gov. Bentley. I will always be thankful and appreciative to the governor for giving me the opportunities to continue serving the people of Alabama in these important posts.

“I want to thank PowerSouth President and CEO Gary Smith and the PowerSouth Board of Trustees for allowing me to serve our state. It has been a richly rewarding experience,” he said. “I also want to thank the Governor’s Cabinet and staff who continue to work long and hard to make this a better place to live.”

His last official day will be Fri., Oct. 16.

“As always, I will be available as long as needed to help Governor Bentley’s administration and especially with the transition to a new Chief of Staff,” he said.