The woman who has served Gov. Rick Scott as his chief of staff for the past year and during some of Scott’s toughest times as governor, announced she will leave the Governor’s Office on July 1 to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

The announcement by Kim McDougal comes as Scott prepares to head into the last 18 months of his second and final term as governor.

Scott says during her time as chief of staff, McDougal  had to face a series of tragedies that struck Florida.

“Over the last year, Florida had its fair share of tragic events including two hurricanes, the terrorist attack at Pulse Nightclub, and the shooting at Ft. Lauderdale Airport. During these tough events, Kim has lead my team through crisis and helped ensure we did all we could to help Florida families during these dark hours,” Scott said.  “Despite these challenges, we have also had great success this year, and she has worked every day to make sure Florida remains the top place for families to succeed and live their dreams.”

The 54-year-old McDougal has worked for the state for the last 28 years. Prior to her appointment to her current position she served as Scott’s deputy chief of staff and legislative affairs director.  She also served Scott as his education policy coordinator.

McDougal  worked on Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign as a  policy advisor.

“It has been my absolute pleasure serving Florida families for almost three decades. It truly has been an honor to wake up every day and fight for policies that will make a difference in our families’ lives,” said McDougal. “Governor Scott is focused on making Florida the top place to get a great job and education, and I was honored to help work on policies to make Florida number one in the nation for families.”

McDougal also served in the administration of former Gov. Jeb Bush

She is known for her service to the Department of Education where she served in a number of  leadership positions.

McDougal is the fifth chief of staff to serve Scott.

The Governor’s Office says additional staffing news will be announced in the coming days.