Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff accepted today the resignation of George Foresman, undersecretary for preparedness, the department said.

In accepting Foresman’s resignation with regret, Chertoff cited his work in improving the security of national information technology, telecommunications and interoperability, in addition to other aspects of infrastructure protection and risk management.

Information on Foresman’s future plans was not immediately available. Foresman will leave DHS in the coming weeks, according to Chertoff’s prepared statement.

Foresman had held the preparedness directorate top job since Dec. 18, 2005. Earlier, he worked as Virginia’s senior adviser to the governor for preparedness and homeland security. His executive jobs in emergency preparedness included work as the vice chairman of the Gilmore Commission, which submitted five annual reports on terrorism readiness to Congress from 1998 to 2003.

Foresman worked for more than 22 years in emergency management, law enforcement and related fields at several levels.

Wilson P. Dizard III writes for Government Computer News, an 1105 Government Information Group publication.