Former Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan (D) resigned from the University of Maryland in College Park on Wednesday to join a government advisory firm, according to The Washington Post.

Duncan served as the university's chief administrative and finance officer for 17 months and will be joining CivicUS as a co-founder and senior vice president for research and business development, reports the Post.

Duncan found himself at the center of controversy last month when he claimed one of the university's lobbyists -- former state Sen. P.J. Hogan (D-Montgomery County) -- gave him a direct order from the governor not to attend a forum with former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-Baltimore).

According to the Post, a statement from the university sought to clear up the issue: "Duncan recognizes now that he misinterpreted informal advice from a friend and colleague as an official directive. Duncan has apologized to Hogan for the misunderstanding."

Hogan told the Post that the incident had nothing to do with Duncan's resignation. Duncan ran against now-Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Baltimore) in the 2006 Democratic primary, before dropping out because of depression.