Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh announced Monday that he'll

step down Feb. 15. He'll become senior vice president of sales and

marketing for Olathe-based NIC Inc.

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, will name Thornburgh's

replacement. Thornburgh's current term expires in January 2011.

Thornburgh, a Republican, is serving his fourth term as

secretary of state, having been first elected in 1994.

He decided against seeking a fifth term this year to run for

governor but abandoned the race last year.

NIC says on its Web site that it builds and manages government

Web sites and related services for 23 states and hundreds of local

governments.