The council shall select an executive director by a vote of a majority of all voting council members. The executive director shall be in the classified service of the state and shall perform such duties as the council may require. The council shall maintain sufficient staff, supervised by the executive director, to carry out the duties of the council. The hiring of staff shall be done in accordance with state personnel policies and procedures except that the state shall not apply hiring freezes, reductions in force, prohibitions on staff travel, or other policies, to the extent that such policies would impact staff or functions funded with federal funds and would prevent the council from carrying out its functions under the DD Act.