SALT LAKE CITY What does a conflict between the YWCA and a local nonprofit have to do with the resignation of six board members 2 years ago? Almost everything, according to more than a dozen people who allege that the YWCA Utah leadership created a toxic environment that was especially difficult and demeaning for women of color.
Two months after those board members resigned, a memo from a diversity expert suggested that the only way for the YWCA Utah to effectively execute its stated mission of eliminating racism and empowering women was an overhaul of the staff and the board leadership.
Based on my interactions with the board and the staff members, the roles have been operating in conflict rather than in concert with each other, Weber State University professor Adrienne Andrews, the schools vice president for diversity and chief diversity officer, wrote in a 2017 memo after she led a retreat meant to assess how well the board and YWCA leadership and staff understood social and racial justice and how their work meets their goal of eliminating racism.
This makes executing a mission of eliminating racism and empowering women extremely difficult. It also appears that staff in front-line positions are not included in decision-making, have not been trained regarding the mission to eliminate racism, and are not empowered to engage the communities they seek to serve.
Andrews declined to discuss the memo, saying it was private communication between herself and YWCA Utah officials. But it offers outside confirmation of the issues multiple employees and former board members told the Deseret News theyve struggled to address with the YMCAs leadership for years.
When there is a lack of shared vision, limited trust and restrictive communication, the work of an organization is truncated and made ineffective in the community it serves, Andrews wrote. This appears to be the case at this time.
The memo was written two months after six members of the YWCA board, including four executive board members, resigned in the middle of an outside investigation that confirmed allegations made by an employee that the YWCAs leadership had created a toxic work environment.
I resigned based on what I heard and saw and probably more importantly because of what I didnt hear and see, said Salt Lake Community College President Deneece Huftalin, who was president-elect at the time of her resignation in 2017.
There were some very legitimate concerns raised by employees and verified by an independent consultant that the board asked to come in and do some work with YWCA senior leadership, and that was completely disregarded by the executive director, and unfortunately disregarded by the balance of the board, Huftalin said.
The board members didnt go public with their decision to quit until recently because they worried about two things hurting an organization they love that does work that they feel is vital, and taking on someone they see as a powerful, well-connected woman in YWCA Utah CEO Anne Burkholder.
As the Deseret News was investigating the current issues and those of 2017, Burkholder recently announced that she will retire in the spring.
I still very much appreciate their (YWCA Utah) work, and I dont want anything I say or do to harm their ability to raise funds or do work, Huftalin said. I feel very torn because I want people to support the organization, but I also want the organization to be responsible to racial and other problems within their own climate.
I can only speak for myself, said longtime activist Emma Houston, who was the boards secretary at the time and now works in the Cabinet of Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. For me, I thought maybe this would tarnish me or have a reflection on the county government or the mayor. (Anne) is extremely respected in the community that has money. Shes cultivated that community very, very well. Shes very well connected.
But when similar issues resurfaced in May of 2019 in the form of a conflict between the YWCA and a nonprofit organization in the same building serving abused women called Journey of Hope, former board members and several former staff members said they felt compelled to speak out in support of assertions being made by Journey of Hope founder and executive director Shannon Cox.
At the heart of the criticism is the YWCA leadership. Cox, four of the six former board members and several former employees who spoke with the Deseret News claimed that a vindictive, fear-based and racially biased culture exists inside the beloved organization.
Not everyone agrees, including board members who served alongside those who resigned. Supporters say Burkholder and other leaders care deeply about the mission of the YWCA, the women it serves and its employees.
The issues between Journey of Hope and YWCA raised by Cox in a five-page letter to the YWCA board are similar to the issues that an employee and some board members tried to address in February of 2017: That women of color, regardless of whether they were staff or clients, were treated disrespectfully and dismissively; and these were concerns particularly troubling for an organization whose mission is eliminating racism and empowering women.
I feel a bit like David facing the feminist Goliath but these violations of human rights will get one of my clients killed, so I cannot with a level of ethical obligation wait any longer to reveal these issues to your careful consideration, Cox wrote in a letter to the board in May.
Burkholder declined to be interviewed for this story, opting instead to have current board Chairwoman Christina Lau Billings speak on her behalf and to have a public relations firm address the issues raised by Journey of Hope.
Billings called Burkholder one of her mentors in an interview, and in a press release announcing Burkholders retirement in spring of 2020, she expressed her gratitude for her leadership.
Journey of Hope is an organization that mentors and empowers women and girls who have been incarcerated or traumatized and are at-risk for further exploitation and incarceration. It had been working at the YWCAs Salt Lake campus together with the YWCAs Family Justice Center, which provides domestic violence services.
Journey of Hope was moving to a bigger building in Sandy, but three of Coxs employees were given office space in the YWCAs Family Justice Center building in hopes of better coordinating services for some of the communitys most vulnerable women. It was the type of community collaboration that Andrews recommended in her 2017 memo.
But in February, the YWCA staff began running background checks on Journey of Hope clients, who are women in the most desperate circumstances leaving incarceration, overcoming addiction, trying to escape homelessness or sex trafficking.
Such checks had not been conducted before then.
Most of our women are previously incarcerated, said Tonya Smith, a Journey of Hope case worker, who said the women started feeling uneasy about the intrusive process. Then (YWCA staff) wanted to meet with our clients, and (YWCA staff) wanted to do an hour assessment before they let our clients come back to see us.
Smith said she was later told that if the women seeking help had any type of criminal history, they cant come in the building. Then it was, No, you have to meet them across the street. They cant come on the property.
Journey of Hope case worker Renee LeGrant said a welcoming environment quickly turned into a hostile situation. When the cooperative agreement began, YWCA staff would let her know she had a client, and shed walk to the front and escort them to her office. That changed within a few weeks.
We had to meet them outside on the street, LeGrant said. They have a little bench that sits on the property, but we couldnt even sit on that bench. We had to meet them across the sidewalk.
When she asked for an explanation for the change, which she and Cox felt made it less likely that these women would reach out for help or trust them, she said she was told it was because our ladies are criminals. But some of their ladies are criminals. Im saying we serve the same population.
Cox, who founded Journey of Hope after 20 years in law enforcement, was furious, pointing out that some of these women are trying to escape brutal, dangerous situations, including human trafficking, and she felt it put the lives of the women and her staff and volunteers in danger.
We started meeting our ladies at the Dunkin Donuts or at the library just so we can keep track of our ladies, so they dont lose us, LeGrant said. Its difficult (not to have a safe place to meet) because there is no confidentiality. It was perfect at the YW. Its still rough.
LeGrant feels especially traumatized by the issues between Journey of Hope and the YWCA because she has survived what shes now trying to help women escape and overcome.
Ive survived pretty much everything theyve gone through, said LeGrant, who is African American. So I just let them know were still there, and soon well have a space, hopefully, downtown. Until then, they can call us and we talk to them on the phone. If its an emergency, sometimes well meet them.
Cox gets emotional talking about how her staff was treated, but especially LeGrant.
(Staff) physically blocked her from going downstairs to meet with a client, Cox said, her voice choking with emotion. She said, You cant meet with them here. Renee was going to do what she always does walk them out, make another appointment and find out if theyre safe right now. But this (staff) physically blocked her.
YWCA leadership, including Burkholder, declined to talk with the Deseret News about this issue or the 2017 resignations and associated allegations. They did, however, respond through Cindy Gubler, of Wilkinson and Ferrari, a public relations firm.
This statement confirms that the YWCA made changes to its procedures as it relates to women seeking services after Coxs letter raised concerns about criminal background checks.
When the Salt Lake Area Family Justice Center was formed in 2007, the YWCAs focus was on creating a safe, victim-centered space, the statement said. As such, with the agreement of all founding partners, the YWCA initiated a safety and security protocol to help ensure that they were not serving perpetrators. This included a limited criminal background check. The purpose was to determine if the visitor/client had any local pending domestic violence cases, restraining orders or warrants.
The concerns raised by Journey of Hope encouraged the YWCA to take a look at this policy to ensure that they were not creating additional barriers for survivors. A revised policy was put into place, that includes a three-part procedure with the goal of screening in domestic violence survivors who need the co-located services offered from a variety of providers.
While both Houston, who was the only African American board member at the time, and Miller, who is white, said they heard from employees that women of color were treated particularly harshly by Burkholder, Carol Matthews-Shifflett said she saw and felt it firsthand.
In fact, she said she feels particularly traumatized by her time at the YWCA because of how she was treated when she tried to bring issues to supervisors or when she tried to plan gatherings to discuss race, even something as innocuous as an educational luncheon during Black History Month.
There was no support, said Matthews-Shifflett, who is African American. The leaders didnt come, the only staff would come would be diverse. It was just something I took on myself. Our mission says eliminating racism, empowering women. I take that literal. Thats what youre supposed to do. I didnt see either one taking place on campus.
She said she raised some concerns with her supervisor who encouraged her to speak out at a staff meeting. She was, however, terrified to do so.
Anne just made you feel small, said Matthews-Shifflett, now the CEO of the Sojourner Group. But then at a meeting (in 2009), Anne said, I need everybody to sign this form that we teach cultural competence. I kind of looked at my supervisor and she nodded, and I just burst into tears. I said, How can we sit here and say we teach cultural competence when the staff is not culturally competent? Someone told me, Yeah, that put the nail in your coffin. You just told her how to do her job.
When Matthews-Shifflett suggested having community members come in and teach the staff these skills, she said Burkholder asked for a list of people.
I emailed her the list, and I got a response back, I will take this up with upper management, she said. And thats the last I ever heard. I heard from my supervisor, She doesnt like you and she wants you gone.
She said she felt forced to resign in 2010. Matthews-Shiflett discussed multiple incidents where she believes clients of color were treated poorly, including one African American woman who complained to her about being called racist insults by another resident and she said no one would address it.
I took it to my supervisor, who took it to (senior management), Matthews-Shiflett said. She said shed follow up on it. Three weeks later, I saw that woman in the parking lot and she said, No ones talked to me. I was shocked. I took it to my supervisor and she was shocked. She said shed follow up on it. She came to me and said (leadership) had taken care of it. I never saw that woman on campus again. And I think that happened often. If you were a troublemaker, we got rid of you.
Another employee of color spoke to the Deseret News and detailed similar issues, but despite leaving the YWCAs employment, she would only speak on condition of anonymity.
She said she shared her concerns, which included retaliation for disagreeing with the administration or bringing issues to supervisors, because employees were unhappy throughout the YWCA and had no voice.
She said employees who raised issues either got fired or walked away and alleged, These employees have no support and are ill-trained by their supervisors because their supervisors do not know.
Houston said the difficulty both employees and board members have had in trying to address these issues is that any perceived racism they may feel at work is subtle, difficult to prove to outsiders and sometimes easily blamed on peripheral issues or actions.
Its those microaggressions that look, that tone, that response and its based on experiences that a person has had as far as race is concerned, Houston said. Its hard to put your finger on it, but you know it when you see it and when you feel it.
Margarita Allen worked at YWCA from 2007 to 2009 as a prevention education specialist and case manager, and she said the environment at the YWCA Utah was petty and difficult to navigate for her. At one point, her supervisor wanted her to sign a letter of reprimand, but when she disagreed with the allegations, she was told if she didnt sign, theyd cut her hours.
It just felt like you were walking on eggshells all the time, Allen said. It felt like you were nobody because we look differently. It was very white women empowered. We felt like we were lower class, like we werent educated enough. It felt like there was a lot of indirect racism.
Billings is a woman of color and she said she couldnt disagree with that sentiment more. She considers Burkholder a personal mentor and ally.
Anne absolutely embodies empowering women, Billings said, noting that the board read Coxs letter and supports the way YWCA leadership handled it. Shes so passionate about the mission, and shes been there for almost 20 years championing programs and actions that further the mission. She has a very strong record.
To understand the issues Cox and her staff say theyre having, and why so many former employees and board members are just now speaking out, its necessary to revisit what happened in the winter of 2017.
The resignations in February of 2017 came after a staff member wrote a letter alleging a long list of problems that echo what Journey of Hope staff report, including accusations of an environment that operated on fear and retaliation.
Miller, the board president at the time, said the allegations were serious enough that the board leadership felt it was best to have an independent investigator talk with employees and then make recommendations.
The investigator found (the allegations made) to be valid, definitely, said Huftalin. She interviewed people, and she uncovered additional supporting experiences that were very similar to this first employee. So it wasnt an isolated incident or misunderstanding.
The findings of that investigation were never made public.
On the weekend before the resignations, Andrews facilitated a YWCA staff retreat examining race and understanding the YWCAs goal of eliminating racism something Miller said Houston said they had been working to make happen for many months.
In the memo, Andrews wrote that the purpose was to provide outside perspective in hopes of helping the organization realize its stated mission. But it also noted some of the same types of issues that were raised by former employees with the Deseret News after a deterioration in the relationship between the YWCA and Journey of Hope.
She highlighted several issues, including a lack of trust between staff, leadership and the board.
In my opening remarks, I recognized the YWCAs history of race work in Salt Lake, the memo said. Several people in the room were surprised at the activities, directly acknowledging a lack of awareness about these events. This was surprising and troubling, as I had been assured that this information had been disseminated prior to the event. While I do not doubt that the document was shared, a lack of connection to these events by participants was distressing, as a core portion of the YWCA mission is eliminating racism. I was disappointed to hear the lack of cross-collaboration with social justice organizations in Salt Lake.
When it came to the mission, the memo said there was resistance and doubt about whether or not eliminating racism was possible.
A discussion about the understanding of the YWCA mission was filled with fears about the difficulty of eliminating racism, the memo said. The crux of the discussion was that empowering women was active and ongoing, while eliminating racism was terminal. Most people in the space felt that eliminating racism was too hard or daunting and that there was no possibility of ending racism. Reflections shared by participants included that eliminating racism was vague and that there was no clear charge on how to do it.
Further discussion about how the two mission goals were intertwined followed with this observation: If we talk about empowering women, we are talking about empowering all women. Unfortunately, it seemed as though minority women as well as low-income women were not included in the vision for this mission or at a minimum, not seen as the target women for empowerment in the broadest sense.
The memo was never made public, and even those whod left the organization were reluctant to discuss the issues raised in it because they fear hurting the YWCAs work. Cox feels none of that ambivalence because she feels like what happened between her staff and YWCA staff endangered the lives of women both organizations profess to serve.
But Billings, who has been on the board since 2014, said the board didnt take action on the consultants recommendations in February of 2017 because the allegations were unfounded.
A majority of the board who didnt agree with those individuals who resigned supported this action, Billings said of not acting on the complaints. The employee went to the executive committee with concerns and allegations, and they were investigating that. Its unusual for an employee to do this. There is a process and procedure in place for (complaints) to go through.
Among the issues this employee reported to the YWCA board were lack of training, lack of communication, retaliation against employees or board members who raised issues, speaking to nonwhite employees more harshly or in condescending tones, and being inaccessible to employees or becoming defensive when offered criticism, according to three former board members.
When Miller and Huftalin said they brought some of these issues up with Burkholder, she submitted a letter of resignation, which prompted some of her senior leadership, donors and board members to come to her defense and urge the group to reject the resignation.
A few days later, the four members of the executive committee including Huftalin, Miller and Houston resigned with two others resigning several days later.
I left for two reasons, said Miller. I was uncomfortable being part of an organization that had such a toxic work environment for employees, and I did not feel like the board had access to full information, including financial information, about who has access to the day care facility.
Miller said there is a perception that the day care facility is for lower-income people, yet she said even the employees of the YWCA could not afford to use the day care.
Houston points out that Burkholders response to being asked to address employee issues was to resign. It was in that moment that Houston said she concluded nothing was going to change, so she resigned.
The YWCA is dressed up, looks well and knows how to act in public, but behind the scenes, that work is not being done, Houston said. And thats why I resigned.
All of the former board members, as well as most of the former employees, said they remain steadfastly supportive of the YWCA, even as some call for a more inclusive process in seeking a replacement for Burkholder.
All of the board members who resigned remain lifetime members of the YWCA.
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Why 6 YWCA Utah board members resigned but havent talked about it until now - Deseret News
