Ken Myer, the outgoing director of the Washington Technology Industry Association, said the tech trade group should find a replacement within 60 days.

Myer, 52, announced Monday that he's resigning after three years as WTIA president and chief executive so he can return to the tech industry. He previously worked at startups, IBM and ActiveVoice, where he was an executive vice president handling marketing, sales, customer service and technical support.

He's staying with WTIA through March, to help with the executive search and transition. Meanwhile, he hasn't even started looking for a new job, though he said he's especially interested in cleantech and cloud computing.

"Right now I want to make sure there's a good transition, that I help the board after they've found a new leader to help them transition them on and then I'll return to industry," he said.

Myer oversaw WTIA's expansion beyond software companies to include tech companies in general. It grew again in September by merging with the regional TechAmerica electronics industry trade group.

"I've gotten a lot of really nice messages of support and I feel really fortunate I made so many great relationships in this job," he said.