They recommended I fire him at the end of August because we are currently experiencing cash flow challenges/shortages because of the pandemic...this is what i wrote in response:

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This recommendation is not only inappropriate, it shows a lack of understanding of Board governance, as well as a dismissive and unhealthy management relationship with your Executive Director. This is the 2nd time the Board has made such a recommendation to me and I made it clear the first time that I did not appreciate it.

I wholly reject this recommendation.

We spent an entire almost 2 hours on a Board meeting together at which point anyone could have asked me for a specific account of my staffing plan for the Fall. To have any kind of conversation around staffing without your Executive Director involved undermines the work I do as I am the only person that works for you. I am perfectly capable of assessing our cash flow realities and adjusting staffing to align with it. A more appropriate result of your Executive Session would be for the Board to request that I provide a specific written plan for staffing, or even requesting that I reduce staff costs to a certain percentage of overall revenue. In my first full year as ED, I reduced spending by over $100K, while increasing revenues by roughly the same amount. I more than earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the way the org allocates funding.

But to directly recommend I fire a specific person with no regard for (or any guidance around) what that means, is cruel and callous. Over the last 4 months, as we've been affected by an unprecedented global pandemic, I've been appalled at the way this Board has displayed tone-deaf decision making and conversations with respect to how people (especially people of color) are treated. There have been many instances where I've attempted to bring attention to this with no resulting change in behavior. It is even more offensive considering this has been a mostly all white governing body. While there seems to be talk about the importance of antiracism, I'm not seeing that in action.

In conclusion, I will assess and make decisions around staffing levels as we head into the Fall and will forward a plan to David for my remaining time here. I plan for my last day to be September 30 and quite honestly, it can not come soon enough.

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d