The lobbyist who has promoted the education agenda of now-U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in Michigan has resigned from his position.
Gary Naeyaert, who has served as executive director of the DeVos-founded Great Lakes Education Project since 2013, has been taking heat in recent days over a comment he made while testifying last week before a legislative committee.
Expressing his frustration with the state school reform officer, who is charged with closing down failing schools, Naeyaert said “I wanted to shake her, like I like to shake my wife.”
Video of his remarks has been making the rounds on websites that have been critical of DeVos, prompting Naeyaert to post an apology to his Facebook page on Sunday.
“What I said last Tuesday was a poorly-worded ad-lib and bad analogy during the Q&A portion of legislative testimony. This is something a professional communicator should avoid, and I really let myself and GLEP down with this verbal gaffe,” he wrote.
The organization notified supporters by email on Monday that he has resigned and officially announced the news Tuesday.
“We appreciate his nearly four years of leadership and passionate advocacy for school choice, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Great Lakes Education Project chairman Jim Barrett wrote in a statement.
Barrett added that the organization is “taking some time to reorganize to best continue the advocacy of quality school choice options for all Michigan K-12 students.”
Naeyaert has been the face of DeVos’ education agenda in Michigan, often testifying in favor of top DeVos priorities such as charter schools and tough consequences for low-performing schools. He has made frequent TV and radio appearances.
DeVos has been one of the most influential figures in Michigan education policy for years. She became President Trump’s Education Secretary last month.
Naeyaert did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.