INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A school administrator accused of plagiarizing parts of her doctoral dissertation has resigned from Indiana’s State Board of Education.

Gwendolyn Griffith Adell submitted a resignation letter last week effective immediately, saying she was stepping down for personal and family reasons.

The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne reported in May that portions of the dissertation Adell submitted to Purdue University in 2004 are nearly identical to information in a 1999 dissertation by a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech.

Adell has denied copying anyone’s work. She’s the chief administrative officer of Gary’s Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.

Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed Adell to the board in 2006. A Department of Education spokeswoman says it is working with the governor’s office to find a replacement for the 11-member board.