The executive director of the state Board of Registered Nursing resigned Friday after women who worked with him mounted a public campaign accusing him of sexual harassment.

Joseph Morris, a former hospital administrator, was appointed to lead the board that licenses and regulates California nurses in July 2016.

At a recent public meeting, employees of the regulatory agency said he made inappropriate comments and glances at their female colleagues.

The women said Morris’ conduct interfered with their ability to do their jobs.

“How is a woman supposed to present business solutions or recommend program changes when they are afraid to be behind closed doors with the executive officer?” Lashonda Shannon, a nursing citation analyst, asked at a Jan. 17 meeting, according to a copy of her written testimony.

“How do we expect a woman to feel comfortable delivering a presentation regarding the needs of the unit when the executive officer is undressing her with his eyes and licking his lips as he says lewd comments?” she said.

Morris did not respond to attempts to reach him Friday. The Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the Board of Registered Nursing, confirmed Morris submitted his resignation, effective Friday.

He earned about $148,000 last year, according to state records.

Shannon said the women came forward after they grew frustrated that nothing was being done internally to address the harassment and what they view as mismanagement.

The board has struggled in recent years to license new nurses and to discipline nurses for misconduct in a timely manner, according to recent state budget documents.

The group of board employees who advocated for Morris’ removal sent at least one anonymous email to the agency’s board of directors detailing their complaints and created a Facebook group called “Standing Together for Change” where they have posted complaints and updates.

This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 7:00 AM.