The executive director of Project ADAPT, a multimillion-dollar initiative which will overhaul the University's accounting systems, left last month to work at an Internet-based educational company--just as ADAPT's core systems whirred into place with few hitches.

Peter J. Segall has been at the helm of ADAPT since 1997, when he inherited a project already experiencing difficulties that put it behind schedule.

Under his direction, on July 1, the University launched the money-management Web sites that are the second phase of ADAPT, an initiative to reform the way records and finances are organized across Harvard's 10 schools. The first phase was entirely planning.

With the new systems, the University has a more detailed chart of accounts, which sorts and organizes accounts and spending at the University. Other highlights include a method for transferring money without going through a central office and a program for entering invoices on-line.

Segall's departure should not affect ADAPT's course too greatly, as his successor, Sara E. Oseasohn '74, already has been working with the program for three years.

Segall is now vice president for sales and partnership at WebCT, a company that develops Web-based educational material and was recently acquired by Universal Learning Technology.

"A good opportunity came my way. I was not searching [for a job]. I didn't even have a resume," Segall said. "I wasn't planning on leaving."

Segall said his job offer came suddenly. He left Harvard on July 29.

Though sudden, Segall's departure had been imminent for some time, according to Provost Harvey V. Fineberg '67.