The Office of Ombudsperson for the Department of Corrections is hereby created. The ombudsperson shall be appointed by the governor in the unclassified service and may be removed only for just cause. The ombudsperson shall be selected without regard to political affiliation, and shall be a person highly competent and qualified to analyze questions of law, administration, and public policy. No person may serve as ombudsperson while holding any other public office. The ombudsperson for corrections shall be accountable to the governor and shall have the authority to investigate decisions, acts, and other matters of the Department of Corrections so as to promote the highest attainable standards of competence, efficiency, and justice in the administration of corrections.