Bluffton has a new police chief.

Ryan Burkholder, a member of the Bluffton police department since 2004, was named chief in a unanimous vote following a council executive session on Monday. The motion did not include salary information.

The new chief replacess Rick Skilliter who retired earlier this fall. Burkholder, a sergeant in the department, was interim chief following Skilliter’s retirement.

Chief Burkholder is the first Bluffton native to serve a police chief in several decades. The most recent being William "Kaiser" Gaiffe, who served in the 1960s and 1970s.

The new chief is a 1997 Bluffton High School graduate. He served in the U.S. Marines for 4 ½ years. While in the marines he served in Baghdad, Iraq, for six months.

He holds a master’s degree in criminal behavior and a bachelor’s in criminal justice administration from Tiffin University. He also holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice science from Owens Technical College, and is a graduate of Owen’s Police Officer Training Academy.

On the Bluffton police force he is the instructor in firearms training, Taser training and is the field training officer.

He and his wife, Kelli, are parents of three children, Kaitlyn, high school junior, Matt, sixth grader and Grace, fourth grader.

Eric Rayle also hired

On Monday, council also hired Eric Rayle to fill a full-time vacancy in the police department. The vacancy occurred when Burkholder was appointed interim chief. Rayle was approved by a 4-0 vote with Richard Johnson abstaining. Rayle is Johnson's son-in-law.