VPT president and CEO John King
Many of the allegedly secret meetings that have landed Vermont Public Television’s board of directors in hot water with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting were held to discuss allegations made by a former employee against VPT president and CEO John King, according to several people involved with the situation.
The former employee, who spoke to Seven Days on the condition of anonymity, said she told then-board vice chairwoman Pam Mackenzie in February 2012 that King had directed sexually harassing remarks at her when she worked for the station. She also accused him of engaging in questionable practices in fundraising and the use of grant money.
King vigorously disputes all of the charges, saying they were investigated and “found to be unsubstantiated.”
The allegations prompted board members to engage an independent human resources firm — Shelburne-based Church, Engle & Associates — in March 2012 to investigate the former employee’s charges. As the board weighed the allegations, its executive committee met repeatedly without providing notice to the public, according to records of the meetings obtained by Seven Days. In April 2012 alone, according to those records, the executive committee met seven times behind closed doors.
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It is a period of civil war. Rebel employees, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal minutes from the Corporation’s ultimate weapon, the Board of Directors, an armored behemoth with enough patronage to destroy an entire career.
Pursued by the Board’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her Subaru Outback Wagon, custodian of the stolen minutes that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy….
It is painfully apparent that no current employee would say anything against their boss and endanger their job. A senior management team for a television station notably without a CFO and a Programming Director? Unfortunately inappropriate behavior is allowed to run wild in many nonprofits and I’ve watched talented people leave and board members resign rather than get involved and try to stop it. It’s a real pleasure to see a board taking action and providing real oversight over potential mismanagement.
no offense Susan, but you clearly don’t know the facts and you are badly mistaken in your comments. The station does have a CFO and is currently working with a search firm to find the new Chief Content Officer. The board members who left the board did so in order to speak out against the current board leadership.
I could certainly see where I’m mistaken and you or others could provide many examples of current employees willing to report unethical or illegal behavior by their boss, but so far it seems almost all negative information comes from former employees or those who are caught red-handed. The last current employee I know of who had information about his boss’s illegal activities was forced to high-tail it out of the country. He subsequently became rather famous as whistleblowers are few and far between, thus I congratulate everyone who speaks out against illegal and unethical behavior and am sorry so few employees feel able to because of fear of reprisal, board members who resign or do nothing, and a pernicious atmosphere that condones silence.
I’ve worked at nonprofits for over thirty years and have often found atmospheres that are not conducive to reporting wrongdoing, real or perceived, of management. Some of this is procedural, some due to insufficient oversight of nonprofit leadership, cronyism, and a simple lack of time among board members juggling full-time jobs, families, and the CEOs they are supposed to supervise. It’s all too rare to find a volunteer board spending so much time and energy fulfilling its fiduciary duty to the nonprofit it serves, and credit should be given to all involved for their obviously deep level of caring and commitment. Providing nonprofit employees with a safe way to relay concerns about their CEO to the board on an annual or semi-annual basis is one way to keep personnel issues under control.
As someone who has witnessed absolutely disgusting behavior in multiple workplaces, I applaud this board for taking action and wish people in positions of authority over small business leaders would make it possible for employees to report concerns without fear of retaliation. I doubt it will happen because it’s easier to just ignore the problem, and employees will continue to suffer in silence or leave. Sad.
“The paper did not obtain a copy of the report prepared by Church, Engle & Associates, nor documentation of the board’s response.”
Anybody wanna bet that VPT paid more for that unsubstantiated report than Heintz makes in a year?