USC head quits Getty trust

USC President Steven B. Sample has resigned his relatively new seat on the board of the J. Paul Getty Trust, citing conflicting duties.

In a three-sentence resignation letter dated Feb. 28, Sample said his responsibilities to USC “make it impossible for me to continue” as a Getty trustee. His resignation was effective immediately, and he declined to comment Tuesday.

Sample joined the Getty board in September 2004. Trustees typically serve four-year terms. A series of controversies in recent months -- including a continuing probe by the state attorney general and the resignation of the trust’s President Barry Munitz on Feb. 10 -- have made being a Getty trustee a thornier job.

Since Munitz’s departure, veteran Getty administrator Deborah Marrow has served as interim president.

Getty spokesman Ron Hartwig said the trust’s board “will be having discussions” about the search for a new president at its next meeting in May, “but they’ve not yet begun that process.”