The Union of B.C. Performers is looking for a new CEO and chief negotiator following the resignation of Mercedes Watson. According to a statement issued by the actors union, Watson pink slipped herself to the board of directors and president Howard Storey on Friday, and will exit at the end of July.

Watson has been atop UBCP since 2005, and was a key figure in the union’s prolonged talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in 2006 and 2007.

‘There would never be a good time for me to leave the organization, and there will always be valuable work to be done,’ said Watson in a statement. ‘It was a difficult decision but the right one for me at this point in my career.’

Her successor has not been named, though UBCP says Watson will make herself available to help make a smooth transition.