HOUSTON: Citgo Petroleum Corp's Luisa Palacios will leave the board of the eighth-largest US oil refiner at month's end, the company said in a statement on its website.

Palacios, who joined the company in February, 2019, when it created a board independent of Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA, stepped down as chairperson last October.

"Luisa has provided vital service to our company and has made enormous contributions during a pivotal time in the history of Citgo," said Chief Executive Carlos Jorda in a note to employees. "The company is stronger and well positioned for the future because of her efforts."

Palacios, who could not immediately be reached for comment, has accepted a position at an academic institution, she wrote in a letter to staff. She spent two years as a non-resident fellow at Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy and was a senior managing director at economic consultancy Medley Global Advisors.