RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam has appointed an attorney to serve as Virginia’s first director of a recently created child-advocacy agency.

Northam’s office announced Thursday that Eric Reynolds will assume the role of director of the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman later this month.

The office was established last year to serve as a mechanism for reporting concerns about the treatment of children in Virginia’s foster care system.

According to a biography provided by Northam’s office, Reynolds has worked as an attorney for a number of state agencies, including serving as legal counsel for the Department of Social Services and the Office of Children’s Services