SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith announced he will be resigning from his post at the end of this year.

Representatives from Governor Pritzker’s office confirmed the news Wednesday morning.

Smith has been serving as the director of the department since 2019. Under his leadership, DCFS has continued to face extensive challenges that stretch back years.

Just last week, the Illinois Auditor General released an audit of the department that showed, among other things, the department was failing to meet several reporting mandates, failed to comply with several sections of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and failed to comply with the school code.

The audit also found that some of the problems went back over a decade. The first time they were reported was in 2012.

After the audit was released, but before Smith announced his resignation, House Republican Steve Reick said a change in leadership wouldn’t amount to much

“If Mark Smith left today, if he left today, there is absolutely nothing that a replacement could do to make this any better,” Reick said. “This belongs squarely at the feet of the governor, and he has left a trail of abused and neglected kids in his wake.”

WCIA has reached out to Governor Pritzker’s office for comment on Smith’s resignation.

This story will be updated.