In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,
(1) “agency” means a department, office, agency, public corporation, board, commission, authority, or other organizational unit of the executive branch;
(2) “department” means the Department of Administration;
(3) “director of personnel” means the director of personnel appointed under AS 39.25.040;
(4) “division of personnel” means the division of personnel established by AS 39.25.030;
(5) “employment in the executive branch of state government” includes employment as a permanent, probationary, provisional, nonpermanent, or temporary employee in the classified, partially exempt, or exempt services in the executive branch of state government;
(6) “member of a protected class” means a person protected by federal or state laws that prohibit discrimination in employment or a person who experiences or has experienced difficulty in obtaining employment or advancement in employment because of another factor not related to merit.