Vennie Gore's daughter tells him he talks for a living.

With his recent appointment to assistant vice president for Housing & Food Services at MSU, effective August 13, he expects that to continue.

Gore is currently the associate director for Housing and Food Services at the University of Washington.

He meets with students, faculty, campus clients and other to talk about plans for the university - and his job at MSU will be much of the same.

Gore is used to a life with no routine, he said. Growing up as an army brat, he was constantly moving.

He was born in Germany and attended three different schools within his ninth-grade year alone.

He graduated from the University of South Carolina and received his master's degree in college student personnel from Indiana University.

He's been in Seattle since 1989, but isn't worried about the transition to MSU.

"There's something special about Michigan State and how people feel about it," he said.

A national search was composed in order to find candidates for the position, said Kathy Lindahl, assistant vice president for finance and operations, who also chaired the advisory search committee.

The committee was composed of a total of 10 people, including two students.

Outstanding people don't just tend to apply after seeing an advertisement for a position, said Fred Poston, vice president for finance and operations, so the committee gave them the ability to recruit - much like athletics.

Gore said he was sent a job posting mentioned in a press release and was attracted by the reputation of MSU's Housing & Food Service department.

The applicant pool started out with 64 candidates from around the nation. It was then narrowed to eight, based on requirements and standards such as strong leadership skills and a vision for the future.

The eight were narrowed to four through phone interviews, background checks and calls to references.

The final four visited campus a period of two days, and Gore was selected.

RHA President and committee member Mark Dobson said he wanted to find someone who had a genuine interest in students, and he saw that in Gore.

"We were able to get the best and then find the best of the best," Dobson said.

Lindahl said the university will go through a critical time, needing some forward momentum - especially with many residence halls going through renovations within the next 10 years - and they needed to find someone to "build and not maintain."

Gore's ability to engage students will be a huge asset, Poston said.

Gore said he's intrigued at the opportunity to develop the residence hall system for students in the 21st century.

"It's the greatest job," he said. "We get to work with students every day. We get to make a difference on our college campus."

The only thing he will miss in Washington are the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, both of which are less than two hours from where he currently lives.

"If we could take those things and drop them down in the area, that would be ideal," he said with a laugh.

Gore will succeed Charles Gagliano, who retired in April.

"I'm ready to be a Spartan," he said. "The Spartan for a day is a Spartan for life."