LeaderShop alumni, board meeting turns testy at times

With alumni and community members looking on, Alumni Association members Heather Leininger, Emily Szymczak, and Candice Mares discuss ongoing problems at The LeaderShop via computer with agency board members last Thursday. 

By S. Kirchman

The LeaderShop Alumni Association rallied under the pavilion at The LeaderShop office in La Grange for the board’s scheduled 6 p.m. meeting after it was switched from in-person to virtual earlier on Thursday.

The Alumni Association consists of volunteers, previous staff members, former members of the board of directors, funders, donors, and stakeholders committed to the mission of the LeaderShop, and which has been in communication with the LeaderShop since the non-profit’s loss of nearly $400,000 of funding following ongoing allegations of bullying and sexually inappropriate behavior against the now Executive Director Emeritus, Alan Morales, whose contract will run through September.

A closeup of the posters that were being waved at last week’s rally.

Speaking to the frustrated and worried crowd of supporters before the meeting, Candice Mares, of Countryside, a member of the Alumni Association, described the primary goal of the group’s work as being to “stop the ship from sinking.”

The LeaderShop Board had agreed to let three members of the Alumni Association speak in-person at their standard closed-to-the-public July 11 meeting, but made the meeting virtual upon learning of the planned rally.

Along with 19 virtual rally attendees, around 60 alumni and community members gathered in the background of the frame for the zoom call as Heather Leininger, Emily Szymczak and Mares addressed the board via laptop.

The meeting had its cordial moments, with each group acknowledging the difficulty of the LeaderShop’s financial situation.

“We’re in a mess,” admitted Board President Linn Meyer on the call.

However, primary points of contention included removing Morales from all LeaderShop-related work before his contract expires, deciding on how to address the non-profit’s immediate financial catastrophe, and when the board would take action to do so.

The board recently fired four staff members due to lack of funds, including Cathy Pierson, their director of operations who had worked for the LeaderShop for over 40 years and has the confidence of the Alumni Association. Morales is meanwhile being paid at least $171,000 a year.

Signs reading “Morals Matter” and “Integrity Matters for the Kids” were raised in the air by attendees hoping to be seen by the board. The scene of people asking for accountability for the alleged actions of Morales was juxtaposed by the fact that Lyons Township High School sits just across the street from The LeaderShop building and the fact that the LeaderShop considers “character” to be one of its core values as it looks to support and empower youth in the community.

The association stated that they sent the board “85 pages of personal statements” by women describing their experiences with Morales who allegedly created a hostile work environment marked by harassment, intimidation, the demeaning of women staff members, and unwanted shoulder touching and rubbing.

Miriam Cruz exhorts the crowd of LeaderShop alumni and community members to make themselves heard during the teleconference with LeaderShop board members.

Additionally, the association provided names and contact information of people interested in becoming LeaderShop board members, including Cathy Pierson, to help fill five vacancies. According to the LeaderShop bylaws, the board must have 13 members, but currently it has only eight. Alumni asked the board to commit to reviewing the information and contacting interested people in order to get more members on the board who can work on the pressing issues facing the non-profit agency.

Board President Meyer opened the meeting by saying that the board was interested in hearing the input of the Alumni Association but refused to make promises to remove Morales from an active role, to fill board vacancies, or to hold a special board meeting before the regularly scheduled August meeting to address the current crisis.

The somewhat open and respectful dialogue between the association and the board at times became combative, with Meyer asking rally-goers to “stop the nonsense of… reaching out to the press” and to “cut us a break” because of the “irreparable damage to the LeaderShop.” Meyer’s statements, including saying that the scheduling of a special board meeting would be difficult due to board work, personal commitments, and “vacations” elicited audible anger and frustration from the community members asking for concrete actions from the board as soon as possible.

When asked for her thoughts on the meeting after it concluded, Leininger, of Willow Springs, one of the founders of the LeaderShop Alumni Association, said that the meeting went better than expected given the large turnout at the peaceful rally.

In reference to the board, she said, “We want to hear their voice address the community.”

Many questions were left unanswered, but Meyer said the board would follow up with the Alumni Association about future meetings.