CHEYENNE - Fred Parady of Rock Springs has resigned as state Republican Party chairman effective June 1.

Parady, a former Wyoming House speaker, said in a release that he was resigning the GOP chairmanship for "family and business reasons." In an interview, he confirmed that he has accepted a job with the North Slope Borough School District in Alaska.

He said he will remain active in Wyoming GOP politics and will support the new party chairwoman, Diana Vaughan of Teton County.

Parady said Tuesday he will be chief operating officer for the Alaska school district.

The superintendent of the district is Trent Blankenship, the former Wyoming superintendent of public instruction who resigned the elected post in August 2005, a little more than midway in his first term, to take the Alaska job.

At the time, Blankenship said the state job left too little time for his family. He also said he wanted to get away from politics.

Parady, 52, said his father died last year, which made him realize that life is short.

He also said that he and his wife, Lisa Skiles-Parady, are now "empty nesters" free to do other things.

"We will take new jobs so we can work together," he said. "We are headed out to Alaska. I'm excited."

He mentioned the culture of the area and the substantial energy development there.

Parady said he visited Alaska when he was House speaker in 2003 and 2004.

A former mine manager who served 10 years in the Legislature, Parady said his 30 years of experience qualify him for the school district chief operating officer job.

Lisa Skiles-Parady served as Blankenship's chief of staff when he was Wyoming state superintendent, and ran the department after he resigned until the new state superintendent, Jim McBride, took over.

She has been practicing law in Rock Springs and is finishing her doctorate in educational leadership.

Parady said Skiles-Parady would have to answer any questions about her new position. A call to her law office in Rock Springs was not returned Tuesday afternoon. Neither was a call to Blankenship's office.

Parady was a candidate for state treasurer in the 2006 election but lost the nomination to Joe Meyer, who went on to win the general election.

He said he will maintain a home in Wyoming.

"Wyoming will always be my home," he said.

Asked if he would ever launch another statewide campaign, Parady said, "We'll see what the future brings."

Vaughan, meanwhile, said she is excited to lead the Republican Party into the fall elections.

"We are strong with a deep and talented bench," she said in a release. "I look forward to working with Republicans from across the state with a goal of sweeping this fall's federal races and retaining our outstanding legislative majorities."

In the release, Parady said he appreciated the chance to serve as chairman for the past year.

"Our early caucus worked for our party and our state, drawing interest from both the presidential candidates and the nearly 3,000 people that attended local caucuses," he said.

The state GOP convention is later this week in Rock Springs.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.