PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Navy has named the first female leader of the U.S. Naval War College after removing the college president who is under investigation.
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer announced Friday that Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield will be the new president.
Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley was removed as the college president Monday, days after The Associated Press reported he was under investigation and more than a year after the initial complaint was filed.
The AP reported Harley was under investigation for allegedly spending excessively, abusing his hiring authority and otherwise behaving inappropriately, including keeping a margarita machine in his office.
Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Pau said Monday that Navy leaders felt the change is best for the college because it maintains the integrity of the investigation. Pau, the spokeswoman for Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said it would ensure that Harley is afforded due process.
Inspector general investigations, across the Defense Department, routinely take months or more than a year. Provost Lewis M. Duncan has temporarily assumed the president’s duties.
Harley later announced his departure to campus by saying he was “stepping down.”
