Regina Zara leaves the Suffolk Economic Development Corporation

Regina Zara, chief executive officer and executive director of the Suffolk Economic Development Corporation, has exited her $102,965-a-year job, becoming the second high-level county business official to leave in the past month.

Her departure comes after Theresa Ward, deputy county executive for economic development, left her $173,000-a-year post earlier to take a technology post in New York City.

Zara, 50, of Smithtown, will go to work for Siemens USA as the market leader for their smart infrastructure and sustainability team for the Long Island region, working with schools and local governments. She had worked for the county since December 2014.

Zara, whose civil service title was government liaison officer, was in charge of the economic development corporation board that approves tax-exempt bond financing for nonprofits including hospitals and social service agencies. She also was director of business development and marketing and chairwoman of the county Downtown Revitalization Citizens Advisory Committee.