ND Ag Department ex-staffer: Exit interviews 'a sham'

BISMARCK A former staffer involved in a controversy over what state Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has called politically incorrect comments he made in her presence says her exit interviews with Goehring and a department director were a sham.

Katie Pinke resigned last March as the departments marketing and information division director.

Goehring and Ken Junkert, the departments administrative services director, jointly conducted a face-to-face exit interview with Pinke on March 7 and filled out her exit interview questionnaire based on her answers though Pinke said the completed questionnaires, which are now public record and were obtained by Forum News Service, dont accurately reflect her answers.

I said a lot about the communication and the problems that the commissioner was having, and theres nothing negative about the commissioner in the exit interview, Pinke, now working as a marketing consultant, said in a phone interview Thursday.

The questionnaires do mention lack of communication, leadership and mentoring as being among her reasons for leaving the department, but they dont mention Goehring specifically.

Pinke said a human resources representative wasnt in the room which Goehring confirmed and she didnt sign off on what was written on the questionnaire.

As a division director, Pinke herself conducted three exit interviews during her 14 months in the job, records show. She said none involved a human resources representative.

So, to me, those arent official, she said. They can be filled out after the employee has left.

Deputy Commissioner Tom Bodine, who oversees the departments day-to-day operations, said the department changed its exit interview process this past week, recognizing the flaw of not having a third party conduct the interview. He said a human resources liaison will now do the exit interviews and share the results with the employees supervisor and Bodine.

I wish that was a policy before, he said Thursday. We just really carried on what other administrations had done.

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ND Ag Department ex-staffer: Exit interviews 'a sham'