The board of directors for Maximus Inc. has fired chief executive officer Lynn Davenport for misconduct toward a female employee of the company.

The board took the action after it was determined that Davenport had violated the company’s written standards for business conduct and ethics. The Reston, Va., company has reached a settlement with the employee, who has since left Maximus. Terms of the settlement were not provided.

Maximus’ board has appointed Rich Montoni, the company’s chief financial officer and executive vice president since 2002, to succeed Davenport as president and chief executive officer, the company said in a statement. Montoni also has been elected to the company’s board of directors.

The board also appointed David Walker, a company vice president and controller, to serve as the company’s chief financial officer and treasurer.

Maximus offers consulting, systems and outsourcing services to the government. The company has more than 5,200 employees and had annual sales of $647.5 million in fiscal 2005.