Vicki Vannieuwenhoven, the first female vice president in the history of the Green Bay Packers, has resigned and a search for her replacement has already begun, according to club president Mark Murphy.

Vannieuwenhoven, whose resignation was first reported Thursday by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, worked her last day last Friday. She was hired as an accountant in 1995 and then promoted to director of finance in 1999 and vice president in April 2007 by then-president Bob Harlan.

According to Murphy, Vannieuwenhoven's husband, a National Guardsman, was called to duty in Afghanistan last month, leaving her to care for their three children. He will be deployed for a year and Vannieuwenhoven wanted to be home, Murphy said.

During Murphy's first months on the job, she and corporate counsel Jason Wied played a key role in running the operation. Vannieuwenhoven oversaw the financials of the corporation and served as a liaison to the NFL on most money matters.

"She was really very valuable to me and the organization, especially in the last couple of years," Murphy said.

Hiring a replacement quickly will be important, Murphy said, because of the current economic conditions and the possibility of there being no salary cap next season. He said he was not necessarily targeting a woman to replace Vannieuwenhoven.