Ohio Rep. Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township) announced Tuesday that he is resigning from his elected position to join the Ohio Chamber of Commerce as its senior vice president of government affairs.

Although Carfagna initially planned to seek re-election to represent Ohio’s 68th House District for a final two-year term, he said in recent days he was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.

“I regret the suddenness of this decision and acknowledge that the timing is far from ideal, but opportunity is seldom convenient and rarely do schedules ever perfectly align,” Carfagna said in a letter to his constituents.

Carfagna, whose resignation date is still being determined, has been serving the people of Knox and Delaware Counties since assuming office in 2017.

The state Chamber of Commerce recently came under the leadership of Steve Stivers, who resigned his position in the U.S. House last year to become its president.

In his new role, Carfagna said he will continue to influence public policy, with a focus on issues that “matter the most for our economy, including workforce, infrastructure, healthcare, education, energy and technology.”

“We are so fortunate in Central Ohio to live in the cradle of prosperity, but we have much work ahead to make the rest of the state a welcoming, prosperous place for all Ohioans,” Carfagna said. “I am not walking away from the public arena, but shifting to a different capacity to promote the ideas that will enrich and advance your respective American Dreams.”