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(AP) -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A southeastern Missouri lawyer has been tapped to serve on the state board that regulates casinos.

Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Diane Howard, of Cape Girardeau, to the Missouri Gaming Commission on Tuesday. Howard can begin serving immediately but must be confirmed by the Senate when lawmakers return to the Capitol.

Howard is a partner in The Limbaugh Firm in Cape Girardeau. Before joining the law firm in 1984 she served four years as an active-duty prosecutor with the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps. She also served in the Navy Reserves, retiring as a captain after 25 years.

Howard is a Democrat and a graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law. She served on the board of the Cape Girardeau Health Department from 1992 until this year.

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