Mandeville lawyer Scott Schneider notified Gov. Jindal of his resignation earlier this month.
Scott Schneider has resigned as vice chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics. The Mandeville lawyer, who served as executive counsel at Tulane, notified Gov. Bobby Jindal of the resignation earlier this month.
"I thought serving at that time would present an opportunity to do some good. I was not disappointed," Schneider said in his July 3 resignation letter, calling his time on the board was "a wonderful experience."
In a phone interview Wednesday evening, Schneider said he made the decision to leave after more than five years because his commitments to Tulane, his law practice and his family were causing him to miss meetings.
"I've explored this for quite a long time now," Schneider said, saying the work was "interesting, but also really pretty much a thankless task."
Schneider was first appointed to the board by Jindal in 2008 when then board member Mary Dumestre stepped down, citing a conflict of interest between her membership and work at her law firm. Jindal then re-appointed Schneider in 2011.
Mandeville lawyer Scott Schneider stepped down as vice chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics on July 3, 2013. His resignation letter did not detail his reason for leaving. Last year, Schneider's role in a conflict of interest case made headlines after he argued Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Kira Orange Jones be allowed to keep her job as head of the New Orleans branch of Teach for America.
Schneider said Orange Jones served more as a superviser rather than a decision-maker for TFA, which has annually received approval for a $1 million contract with BESE.
Schneider said contrary to some media reports, his decision to step down had nothing to do with the Orange Jones case.
"My resignation has absolutely nothing to do with anything I've been involved in (at the board) or any decisions I've made there. This was just very personal," he said.
A graduate of UNO and Washington and Lee Law School in Virginia, Schneider was known for his efforts to tighten regulations on how candidates and elected officials can use campaign finance donations.
The board includes 11 members, seven of whom are appointed by the governor from a pool of applicants nominated by a group of college and university presidents. The board is charged with handling campaign finance and disclosure laws, conflict of interest legislation and lobbyist registration.
Board member Julie Blewer of Shreveport was unanimously voted in as the new vice chairman on Friday, according to Ethics Board Communications Director Alainna Giacone. Jindal will appoint a replacement for Schneider once he receives recommendations from the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc.